All Time Low
by ZoeJayneC
Summary: A socially awkward punk Bella moves to Forks to live with her equally socially awkward father and meets the Cullens and Hales, who befriend her immediately, despite her awkwardness. Bella's kind of geeky, but she won't take your shit. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle are in a band; can Bella provide the inspiration Edward needs to start writing songs again? Canon.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** PLEASE READ THE A/N AT THE BOTTOM.**

**Right, I probably shouldn't be uploading this yet, considering I haven't finished my other story. I kind of lost interest with that one, but if you have read it I will finish it, don't worry! (: **

**But I had loads of other ideas in my head, I literally have a notebook full of story ideas; this is the one that when I wrote a chapter for that I could write the most for. I can relate the most to this story I think, so I'd appreciate the reviews with your opinions on this for me! I'm open to constructive criticism, but don't get all nasty now (; **

**Anyway, here's the summary in full: A socially awkward punk Bella moves to Forks to live with her equally socially awkward father and meets the Cullens and Hales, who befriend her immediately, despite her awkwardness. Bella's kind of geeky, but she won't take your shit. Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle are in a band; can Bella provide the inspiration Edward needs to start writing songs again?**

**Disclaimer; Some woman under the name of Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, gosh darn it.**

All Time Low

Chapter 1  
BPOV

"Are you sure about Forks, Bella?" Renee asked once again, pausing to hand me my hand luggage. It didn't really matter how I felt about Forks; I'd be going anyway. Renee needs to spend her time with Phil; her new husband. Renee's always been flighty; the child of our relationship. Now she has Phil to look after her, she doesn't need me. And quite frankly, I've walked in on them consummating their 3 month old marriage one too many times now.

Not to mention that I'm not the daughter Renee wanted. She wanted a blonde haired, blue eyed little angel, one who she could dress up and take to parties. She wanted to be able to talk about boys and sex with her daughter; she'd always imagined herself being in touch with her daughter, no awkward topics.

It's a shame she got me. Isabella Swan; brown haired, brown eyed me; I have too much Charlie in me to be blonde or blue eyed. I hate to dress up and I'm not a party goer. Whilst Renee wanted a daughter to talk about sex and boys with, I can't even hold up a conversation about a good looking actor without flushing beetroot red.

Renee wanted a little her basically; perfect, beautiful, outgoing and fun. I'm not outgoing and I don't particularly consider myself perfect. I can be fun, with the right company I suppose.

So instead of staying with the newlyweds, I've decided to go live with Charlie, my father. He lives in a small town called Forks, has done for his whole life. I don't think he ever plans on moving. My mother left Forks when I was around the age of 3 months. She'd only been married to Charlie for a year. I like to believe that she tried to make it work in Forks, but then again, my mother has always been too eccentric for a small town.

Charlie welcomed me with open arms when I rang and asked if I could move in with him for the remainder of my school years. I think he was greatly pleased that I wanted to spend some more time with him; up until the age of 14 I would spend two weeks a year in Forks for summer vacation.

"I'm sure, Mom. I love you," I said to my mother, taking my bag and turning to enter the plane. She kissed my cheek before I left completely, telling me to say 'hi' to Charlie for her. After she got my promise of passing on the message, she let me leave for my flight.

-ATL-

My eyes were closed as I relaxed my head against the seat. Coach was not comfy, not at all. Not that I had anything to compare it to; I've never flown first class. I felt a tap on my shoulder and opened my eyes to see a blonde flight attendant staring disdainfully down at me, though she tried to mask it with a polite, tight lipped smile. I looked down at my clothes and saw nothing wrong with my skinny jeans, graphic tee or beanie. The blonde woman, complete with blue eyes and pink lipstick (Renee would have loved her) told me that I had to get off of the plane now, considering we'd landed. I nodded at her, flicked my fringe over my eyes and stood, stretching my limbs. Reaching for my rucksack from the overhead compartment, I slipped it onto my shoulders and left the plane, leaving Barbie woman behind.

I spotted Charlie in the crown of Seattle, WA immediately. Everyone there avoided him, leaving him stood alone in his police chief uniform, his gun securely holstered on his hip. I forgot to mention that Charlie happened to be the police chief of Forks didn't I? Well he is.

I gave Charlie an awkward one armed hug when I walked up to him; I'm not so good at expressing my emotions. That's another thing I get from Charlie. I saw a tiny smile hidden beneath his 'stache. I flicked my fringe over my eyes again and let Charlie lead me to baggage claim. In no time at all, we'd gather all of my two bags and were in the police cruiser, ready to head back to Forks. I had my iPod handy, ready to plug in, just in case the silence got too awkward.

A journey from Seattle to Forks would usually take about two or three hours… But nothing slows down traffic like a cop. Charlie decided that out silence was just too much for him to bear as we got into the last stretch of our journey. He cleared his throat gruffly and twitched the 'stache.

"Your hair's longer."

"I, uh, cut it since last time I saw you…"

"Oh… Looks nice."

The car eclipsed in silence again. Why couldn't I have just gone along with his attempts? At least he's trying. I didn't get to contemplate any further, as Charlie's gruff voice spoke once again.

"I got you a car,"

"You didn't have to do that; I was going to buy one once I was here,"

"Yeah, well… Billie can't drive his anymore, and he sold it to me cheap,"

Hmm. Free car. I was slightly suspicious of how he said it was a 'good car for me' but I nodded slowly at him and decided not to question it any further. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Or a gift car in the engine…

I used the iPod I had on hand, plugging it in and turning it to my favourite playlist, blocking out the sounds of the cruiser and closing my eyes. Young Guns, Bones started playing, relaxing me greatly. I opened my eyes in time to see us passing the entrance to the great ol' town of Forks. Population of 3,552 people. I'll stand out even more here than I did back in Phoenix.

Charlie pulled up at a small townhouse not five minutes later. Downstairs held one large bay window on the left hand stairs of the front door. On the right hand side there was a small, flat window. The second story tapered into a triangle shape, one window dead centre of the triangle face. I slung my rucksack into my shoulders as I climbed out of the cruiser and headed round to help Charlie grab my bags. I took the black bag he handed me and headed up to wait on the porch. Charlie slammed the trunk lid down and shuffled up the stairs, unlocked the door and let us in.

-ATL-

Charlie hadn't changed much in his house since I visited last time. The kitchen still had the half painted yellow cabinets. The walls still had pictures of me as I grew from an awkward young girl with no front teeth and pigtails, to an even more awkward me now, with a side fringe and a close lipped grimace.

My bedroom hadn't changed either and for that I was glad. I still had three dark grey walls and one ebony feature wall. Band posters and drawings of mine littered the walls, covering almost every inch. My old dinosaur of a computer sat on a shoddy little desk in the corner of the room; I'm glad I brought my laptop with me.

I spent the night unpacking and lounging on my bed listening to music, declining Charlie's offer for pizza when it got to dinner time. I decide to go to bed, tired from jetlag. I shout down the stairs saying goodnight to Charlie before changing into my pyjamas and snuggling under the green and black duvet covers. I let the sound of rain take me into a fairly deep sleep.

I woke, momentarily confused as to where I was; as to why there was no sun peeking through my curtains. But then I remembered; I'm in Forks… There is no sun here. I rolled out of bed and headed for a shower, taking in the rumpled bath mat and steamed mirror. Charlie must've already showered. I stripped down to my birthday suit and jumped into the luke warm stream of water, letting it wash over my alabaster skin. I stayed in there, washing my mahogany hair and scrubbing my body with my strawberry body wash.

I knew I had to get out as the water practically turned into icicles, so I quickly dashed out, wrapped myself in a large fluffy white towel and made the mad dash (three whole feet) to my bedroom. There, I quickly towelled myself dry and looked for some clothes to put on. I don't know why I always look at my clothes like something new will appear; I always wear the same style. I grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans, a _Batman_ tee and a green hooded jacket. I threw them on and dried my hair into its regular style; straight, with a side fringe hanging from the bridge of my nose, over my left eye. If I stood directly under the light, you could see hints of red in my hair. I quickly swept some eyeliner over my top eyelids, a brush of mascara on all eyelashes and I was ready. I grabbed my rucksack and my black slouch beanie, fitting it on my head perfectly.

I ran down the stairs and searched the kitchen. Low and behold, Charlie still kept the granola bars in the same place. Grabbing one, I left the kitchen and heading for the front door. I grabbed the keys Charlie had left for my car… I hadn't seen it yet and was somewhat hesitant to find out what it is. Nevertheless, I sucked it up, grabbed my rucksack and left the house, holding the granola bar between my teeth. I turned around to face the car and was shocked by what I saw.

A rusty red truck sat in the driveway. It was large, rusty and would no doubt make a lot of noise. And surprisingly, I loved it. It has character. I squealed inwardly before unlocking the cranky red door and climbing in; literally… This thing is huge. I threw my bag onto the seat next to me and started the truck. I have to admit, I was a little bit giddy when the truck started with a loud bang and groan, just as I'd predicted it would.

I drove along the main street, making the short trip to the high school, taking in the supermarket and numerous little shops. I'd have to go shopping at some point; though I hadn't thoroughly inspected Charlie's cupboards, I doubt he has any decent non bachelor food.

I pulled into the high school, feeling slightly creeped out; though that may be due to the lot full of students staring at me like Bubba just made me their bitch. I ignored their stares, popped my hood over my beanie and headed to the office.

As if the outside world of Forks weren't green enough for these Fork-ians, the office was almost full to the brim with fake potted plants and plastic foliage. I headed to the desk and received my schedule from a grandma-ish looking woman, even if she did look at me disdainfully. I ignored her attitude and used my most polite language; wouldn't want to offend Charlie after all.

I took my schedule and made my way through the day with it. I was ignored in English, mainly because I sat at the back and ignored the lesson going on; I'd already done these topics back in Phoenix. I was also ignored throughout History and Spanish; after all, no one wants to be the first person to approach the new weird kid.

It was only in Trigonometry that someone mustered up the courage to speak to me; Jessica someone. I think the only reason she spoke to me was to gain her minutes in the limelight. I went along with it because she did all the talking necessary for a conversation, meaning I didn't have to say much, at all. That's another thing I get from Charlie; social awkwardness. I dislike people. So if I don't have to speak to them that much, then it's all good.

I was invited to sit with Jessica and her friends for lunch, and I somewhat accepted in the form of a stiff nod. As soon as the bell for Trig rang, Jessica was touching my arm, pulling me out of my seat and down the halls to the cafeteria. I stared at her hand on my bicep like it was a snake; I didn't want it on me, in the slightest, but in order to get it off I would have to proceed with caution. When we got to the cafeteria and just into the lunch cue, I faked an itch on the dead centre of my back, forcing her to let go. I grinned to myself when she wasn't looking. I then looked down at my arm with distaste. I'm going to need to give out my 'no touching unless necessary' rule.

-ATL-

Jessica's friends were… Not my people, to be blunt. They were loud, obnoxious and arrogant. The girls of the table all looked like Barbie's rejects and the boys looked like wanna be Kens. The only two people out of Lauren, Angela, Tanya, Mike, Tyler and Ben were Angela and Ben. They seemed like down to earth people, who were also a couple. I had no idea why they sat with the other obnoxious little twits.

"Um, Izzy?"

Though I'd only been here for a total of four hours, I was already too much acquainted with Laurens nasally voice. And my name isn't Izzy.

"My name's not Izzy, nor will it ever be. What?"

"Um, Izzy sounds cooler. So, why are you like, dressed like a lesbian?"

Barbie say what? I tried to hold in my laughter, I did, but tragically, I failed. I straight out laughed in her face; not giggles. No, no. Full on, belly laughs. I had to hold my fingers under my eyes to stop my make up running. I cleared my throat after calming myself down, a few wild giggles still getting through my not so carefully built barrier.

"Laurieeeee," I mocked her to start with, watching at her eyes twitched; either from anger or from under the weight of her fake eyelashes. "Honey, just because I'm not flashing anyone my boobs, doesn't mean I'm a lesbian. I apologise if a hat is necessary in Forks; in case you haven't noticed, its cold here. Hardly weather for a mini skirt. Which by the way, when you bend over, I can see your Foo."

Her face went up in red, though you couldn't tell under all that make up. I smirked at her for a while before she thought of a response.

"What you looking at my Foo for, dyke?"

"It's hard not to look at it when it's on public display," I told her, before grabbing my bag and tray and stalking off to a table in the far corner of the cafeteria, far away from their table. I could see Lauren fuming silently in her seat.

"God, she flashes her Foo to you and she thinks she's the damn queen of the world," I grumbled to myself, playing with the earphones dangling around my neck. I thought I'd been quiet when I spoke, however a loud guffaw from the table next to mine told me otherwise. I looked up at the table and was more than slightly shocked at what I saw.

Five, incredibly beautiful people. I couldn't decide who was better looking; the blonde girl, with model features and a curvy body, or the bronze haired boy, whose jaw just looked so damn sharp and edgy. But what really caught my attention was their clothing. The small, pixie like girl, with her elfish features wore black leggings and a checkered top, which tied at her waist. The blonde girl also wore some black leggings, and a checkered top, also tied at the waist. They both wore some sort of high heel on their feet. The large, curly haired, dimpled cheeked boy was wearing pair of black jeans, a white wife beater with a flannel shirt unbuttoned over the top. He looked huge and slightly threatening, though the grin on his face said otherwise. A lanky blonde sat next to him, his hair falling ear length over his eyes. He too wore a pair of jeans, though his were grey. A black wife beater clung to his chest and he had a grey hoodie slung over the back of his chair.

The last boy, the beautiful bronze haired one, wore a pair of dark grey skinny jeans that slung low on his hip. A black and white squared belt was slung through his belt loops, though they did no good in helping the jeans stay held up. He wore a big bang theory tee, which instantly put him into my good books. A blue zip up hoodie was thrown over his shoulders, not zipped. His bronze head adorned a deep blue beanie, taming what I imagined was an unruly mess of bronze.

I realised I was staring at them like a complete weirdo, so I looked away quickly, tying aimlessly to fight off the blush that was desperate to rise on my face (yet another thing I got from Charlie; the ability for my skin to turn from alabaster to bright red in seconds). I plugged my earphones into my ears to make it look like I was doing something, and then witched my iPod to my favourite track. Panic at the disco, the ballad of Mona Lisa started to play, the lyrics soon getting lost in my ears. I turned the volume up to full, then closed my eyes and waited for the end of lunch to come.

I didn't expect someone to pull my earphone out of my ear; that meant someone was near me…

I spun around to face the offender, ready to tell them not to invade my personal space. But it was that Pixie girl, from the table I was previously gawking at. So I just stared at her, with one eyebrow raised, asking her what she wanted. I couldn't very well be rude to her, especially after gawking at their table like the complete weirdo I am.

"Nice song choice," she smiled, not a drop of insincerity in her voice. "My friends and I wanted to know if you wanted to sit with us." She gestured over her shoulder with her thumb to the remaining four people. None of them were glaring at me, threatening me not to accept the offer, so I turned back to the pixie and nodded my head, mumbling a 'sure'. I grabbed my rucksack and followed her the short distance to her table, sitting in the only available seat; which just happened to be in between the huge dimple cheeked boy and the blonde, wavy haired boy. I think I may need to get their names; these little nicknames I have are a bit of a mouthful. As if reading my thoughts, the pixie spoke up, her voice sounding chipper and energetic.

"I'm Alice, by the way," She smiled at me, getting herself an awkward smile in return. She gestured to the rest of the table, indicating that they should also introduce themselves.

"I'm Rosalie; call me Rose or Rosie and there will be trouble," the beautiful blonde girl spoke. I would have found her threatening if she hadn't smiled when she said this.

"I'm Jasper, but unlike my dear sister, call me whatever you want," The blonde boy grinned, turning to face me slightly. I smiled awkwardly again, then taking in the similarities between the two blondes; now that I'm looking for it I can definitely tell that they're siblings.

"You shouldn't give me such a wide range of things that are acceptable to call you. You may regret that decision," I replied, smirking slightly. He laughed in response and rolled his eyes at me.

"I think we're gonna' like you! Name's Emmett, nice to meet you!" A loud booming voice that matched the large bear of a man seated on the other side of me said. His face was in a wide, dimply grin, his hazel eyes twinkling. I nodded in his direction, smiling a little less awkwardly.

The last occupant of the table had yet to speak, as instead of introducing himself, he decided to stare at me. He switched his gaze to my chest, but before I could get offended, his eyes flashed back up to mine and a crooked grin adorned his face.

"Hey Batman," He grinned, pushing some more of his bronze fringe under his beanie. I was momentarily confused, before I remembered which shirt I was wearing. I looked down and grinned back.

"Hey there, Sheldon," I laughed slightly.

"What? He isn't Sheldon! That's Edward!" Emmett said, sounding very much confused. I wanted to start laughing at him, but I didn't want to offend anyone.

"I was talking about his T-Shirt," I explained, still smiling. The others at the table all groaned a little, shaking their heads.

"Great, we get another one," Rosalie sighed, running a hand through her immaculate blonde hair.

"I still don't get it, what about Edwards T-Shirt?!" Emmet sighed himself, though still confused. I grinned and turned off my iPod music, unplugging the earphones and finding the right song. I turned up the volume, letting it play across the table.

_Soft kitty,  
Warm kitty,  
Little ball of fur  
Happy kitty,  
Sleepy kitty,  
Purr,purr,purr_

I sang along with it, laughing slightly as Edward joined in. The big bang theory was something I could relate to; I'm not as smart as they are, but hell I'm as geeky and awkward as them!

"Great; someone who can actually keep up with Edward!" Alice laughed, still shaking her head at us.

"Hey, leave us geeks alone; we're cool." Edward laughed, reaching over the table to bump my fist. I held out my fist, but dragged it away quickly when I felt a jolt of electricity.

"Damn static," I mumbled, wiping my fist on my shirt. "I guess I should properly introduce myself now. I'm Bella," I smiled, feeling more comfortable now than I did when I first sat down.

"Oh we know, the whole town was waiting for your arrival," Jasper grinned. I rolled my eyes and snorted. Oh Charlie. No matter how socially awkward he's still able to spread the word of my homecoming. Good old Charlie. The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. I didn't whip out my schedule, knowing I had Biology 2 with Mr Banner next. I grabbed my iPod, stood up and slung my rucksack onto my shoulders.

"What have you got now Bella?" Edward asked, noticing my lack of schedule.

"Biology 2, Mr Banner, how about you?"

"Same class. Just so happens, I'm the only one without a lab partner," he winked. "Walk with me?" I nodded and started to walk beside him. We said goodbye to the other four, who had different cases and I let Edward lead me to the biology classroom. We got there in record time, way before anyone else; only the teacher was in there. Edward left me at his desk and went to what I presumed was his lab desk.

"Sir, I'm Bella Swan. Could you sign this please?" I asked him politely, handing him the slip I'd been given this morning. He took it, signed it quickly and passed it back. He looked up and grinned at me, before telling me to take a seat beside Edward. I made my way down the aisle, only to trip on the corner of someone else's desk. I barely caught myself on the desk top, when I heard a velvety chuckle and an arm wrap itself around my waist, setting me upright. I turned to face Edward, face bright red, a grimace on my lips. He covered his chuckle with a cough and smiled at me before leading me to our desk. I got seated, taking out my notepad and one pen. I doodled in the corner of my page, drawing random things like lips, the sun and an inky black butterfly.

I ignored the other students as they filed into the classroom, ignoring the increase in noise level. I kept doodling until I felt some one breathing down my neck, their hot breath tickling the nape of my neck. I turned to face Edward, raising an eyebrow in question. He just shrugged and faced the front of the room as Mr Banner began to talk about Mitosis. I sigh to myself; yet again, I've done this project back in Phoenix. I didn't notice that Banner had set us off on a partner task of identifying the phases of mitosis until Edward pushed a microscope towards me.

"Ladies first, partner?" I looked into the eye piece, changed the magnification before pulling away, mumbling Anaphase. Edward took a peak, checking my answer then wrote it down on our sheet. He changed the slide, claiming it to be Prophase, and when I checked it, he was right. We worked this way until we had completed all the five slides. We'd finished way before anyone else so I went back to doodling in my notebook as Edward watched me.

"Didn't you think to let Bella do any of the work, Mister Cullen?" I hadn't noticed Banner come up to our desk, so I jumped noticeably when I heard his voice. I held a hand over my heart, as if it would steady it. Edward chuckled before answering.

"Actually, Sir, Bella identified three of the five slides." Mr Banner turned to me, question in his eyes.

"Have you done this lab before?"

"Not with onion root,"

"Whitefish blastula?"

I nodded and Banner nodded his own head in thought. He mumbled something about it being a good thing me and Edward were partners before he walked off to help some students who had their hands up.

"Why'd you move to Forks?"

"What?" I turned to Edward who decided now was the time to fill the silence with small talk.

"How come? No one moves here voluntarily, right?"

"Well, I did. My mom got re married and I walked in on them one to many times. If you catch my drift."

Edward laughed, a deep throaty laugh and was about to reply when the bell rang, effectively cutting him off. I tossed my stuff into my bag, stood up and went to leave the classroom when Edwards hand caught my wrist. I stared at his hand, waiting for the awkwardness of the situation to get me… But there was nothing awkward. Just that same warmth of electricity, which I'm starting to think isn't static.

"What lesson have you got now?" he asked his green eyes boring into mine. I flicked my fringe into my face before answering him.

"Gym. You?"

"Trigonometry. I guess I'll see you later Bella," He looked dejected that we had no other classes together, but quickly rearranged his expression. He walked me to the classroom door, then bid me a goodbye and walking in the opposite direction to where I was heading. I shook my head before going to the Gym hall. I spoke to Coach Clapp, had him sign my papers and was told to sit out for today, but I would be expected to join in tomorrow. I took this out with rarely shown enthusiasm, thanking him and going to sit on the benches at the side of the hall. I watched as the other students filed into the hall; the boys wearing their shorts and a too tight t-shirt to show off their barely there muscles, the girls in their too tight t-shirts to show off their boobs, and shorts that may as well be called underwear. I waved at Alice and Jasper when I saw them enter; the two of them the only ones to wear normal sized clothes. They waved back then went to listen to what they were doing for the day.

For an hour I watched the class play a game of volleyball, glad I wasn't taking part. I have no co-ordination what so ever, so balls flying at me aren't exactly a good idea. Finally the bell rang, so I gathered my belongings and walked out of the school and towards my truck. I threw my bag into the cab of the truck, climbed in and pulled out of my parking space with a bang. As I drove out I saw Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper gathered around a silver Volvo. They all gave me a wave, so I waved back and smiled slightly, before pulling out onto the main road and heading back to Charlie's house.

Maybe Forks won't be so bad after all?

**A/N: ****Well, that's the first chapter! I'd love your opinions on it so far, so much :3  
I based what Bella wears on one of my favourite outfits; I own the batman shirt and I own multiple beanies. I've also had the conversation about being a lesbian with many people; I'm not, I just dress that way. I have nothing against being gay or lesbian, my sisters a lesbian and she's awesome:')**

**A 'Foo' is the word my friends and I use to refer to some ones vagina; I don't know if it's a British thing or an immature thing, but we find it hilarious.**

**Also, I love the big bang theory, and if you've never heard the song I referenced then I suggest you listen to it:**

** www. youtube watch? v=N- qra604RbU (Remove the spaces)  
And just in case you're interested, the other songs I mentioned in the chapter are  
Young Guns-Bones  
Panic at the Disco- The Ballad of Mona Lisa**

**Question- what punk/ rock bands do you listen to? I'm in the need of new music and I may even use them in a chapter:P**

**Please review (:**

**ZoeJayne**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**** Okay, here's the second chapter! Thank you for those of you who reviewed on the first chapter, I appreciate it!**

**Also, Team Cullen: Thank you for the review! I love You me Six and The Cab, and don't even get me started on Paramore :D Thank you for the bands though, I'll be sure to check them out!**

**Disclaimer: That rich chick owns Twilight. I don't own All Time Low either, dayumn. **

All Time Low

Chapter Two  
EPOV

As soon as I pulled up into the garage I climbed out of the car, grabbed my rucksack and ran into the house, throwing my rucksack down at the bottom of the stairs. I got to the music room quickly and sat down at the large table we had in there; it's the place where we hashed out all the details of song lyrics and sounds. I pulled one of the empty notebooks that were all over the table towards me and opened it, starting to scribble down lyrics in my chicken scrawl. As the lead song writer for our band, it was my job to make sure that we always had new stuff to record. But recently I've been having a block, being unable to produce anything worth singing about.

Well, I couldn't find anything worth writing about. That is until school today; when Bella Swan became the new girl at school. She's beautiful; long mahogany hair swept into a side fringe over the bridge of her nose, eyeliner on her eyes making the beautiful brown pop against her pale skin. She dressed casually, and comfortably; tee's, hoodies and a beanie. My kind of style. And let's not forget how great her ass looked in those skin tight skinny jeans.

I thought about when I first saw her, in the cafeteria. Alice had been speaking to the rest of the table about her, giving them the gossip on the new student; Chief Swans daughter. I'd zoned out, choosing that rather than listen to the gossip, I'd rather try and figure out some lyrics for a new song. And then there was a commotion across the cafeteria. Our full table turned to look at the commotion, watching as it garnered our attention immediately. I could see the profile of the new girl, of Bella, and from what I could tell I knew she was beautiful. I watched as her cheek twitched, as she seemingly tried to keep in her laughter. She failed, and laughed outright into Laurens face who I'm guessing insulted Bella in some way. I couldn't hide the small grin on my face as Lauren got angrier the more Bella laughed at her. _I never did like Lauren._ I thought Bella would just leave it there and walk away, but no; she stood up to Lauren! Not one of Laurens cronies has ever done that before. I was giddy before I even heard what Bella had said. I don't think she realised that the whole cafeteria had tuned in to listen to their disagreement.

"Laurieeeee," Bella mocked Lauren, turning her voice high pitched and slightly nasally. "Honey, just because I'm not flashing anyone my boobs, doesn't mean I'm a lesbian. I apologise if a hat is necessary in Forks; in case you haven't noticed, its cold here. Hardly weather for a mini skirt. Which by the way, when you bend over, I can see your Foo."

None of our table could hold the snorts in as we watched Lauren get her ass handed to her. We heard Lauren make a comment about Bella looking at her Foo, when Bella shot her down yet again, stating that she couldn't help but see it due to the fact it was on public display. Bella then proceeded to pick up her belongings and come sling herself down into the table next to us. She seemed to be talking to herself, but we heard her mocking Lauren again and Emmett didn't seem to be able to hold in his appreciation of her actions. At his laughter, her head shot up to look at her table and I got my first real look at her.

Stunning, was the only way in which I could describe her. A heart shaped face, with big brown doe eyed, a small little button nose and a rosy pink little mouth; beautiful. Her bottom lip looked plumper than her top lip and I wondered briefly if it was because she bit her lip a lot; lip biting is hot.

She seemed to stare at us for a while, before blushing and turning her head away from us, instead choosing to play her iPod. After that, Alice decided to invite her to come sit with us and we all found out that she's a great girl; she's geeky and can keep up with me, she can hold her own and even if she is a bit awkward, she seemed to warm up to us easily enough.

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly, after Bella and I spent Biology together. It was a shame that I didn't have any other classes with her, but I quickly reminded myself that I got to sit next to her in Biology every day. I walked her to the Gym, bid her a goodbye and spent the next hour ignoring the equations being thrust at me. Finally when the bell rang I ran out of class and made my way to my Volvo, waiting for the others. As the others approached, I caught a glimpse of Bella climbing into a huge red truck. She started it with a bang and a small smile graced her lips. As she drove past us, we all gave her a wave before climbing into the Volvo and letting me drive home.

Which brings me to now; sat scribbling lyrics furiously into the notebook as I remembered each detail of the day. Her fierce attitude with Lauren, but her sweet smiles with us once she warmed up to us. The way she nodded her head unconsciously in time to the music she was listening to. How I've been waiting so long for the inspiration to strike and in one day this girl has it flowing through my body like the blood I need to survive. But she'll never know just how much of an inspiration she is; I've known her for all of half a day; if I just came out and told her what a beautiful inspirational girl she is, then she's probably likely to kick me in the nuts.

I heard the door to the music room open and four pairs of feet pour into the room. Each of them took a seat around the table, staring at me eagerly; they knew what a hard time I'd being having with the lyrics lately so with no doubt I knew they were eager. I glanced up at them and grinned at them before pulling my beanie off of my head and running my hands through my hair, making it stick up now that the hat wasn't there to restrain it.

"Well? Are you going to keep us waiting much longer?" Emmett asked impatiently, bouncing his knee up and down. Beside him, Jasper was eagerly nodding, though he was much calmer on the exterior than Emmett. On the inside though, he was just as excited. I threw the notebook across the table so it landed in front of them and let them read through them for their opinion. A smile grew on each of their faces as they read through the lyrics; when they were done they passed the book onto where Alice and Rosalie patiently sat so they too could give their opinions. As their eyes scanned it I could see two different things in each of the girls. Alice had a knowing look in her eyes, whilst Rosalie was appreciative. They finished reading and I looked at the four of them, anticipating their feedback.

"So, Edward? This wouldn't happen to have been inspired by a certain brunette girl we met today would it?" Alice asked, the knowing look in her eyes multiplying when a light blush dusted my cheeks. She laughed and reached over the table to pat my hand.

"Ed, man, this is great! We finally have something to record now!" Emmett exclaimed loudly, a boisterous grin set on his face. Jasper nodded beside him, telling me that he too liked the lyrics and that we should record them. I turned to Rosalie and a small smile played on her lips. I cocked an eyebrow, waiting for her to tell me what she thought.

"Thank you, Edward." Huh?

"What for?"

"You've made everyone happy by writing again, giving the band something new to record. And I like seeing Emmett happy, so thanks," she clarified, the smile still splaying on her lips as she explained. I shouldn't be surprised; I mean Rosalie loves this band and Emmett. I grinned crookedly at her and winked a friendly wink. Jasper, Emmett and I decided to go play around on our instruments while we waited for Carlisle to get home from wherever he was.

Carlisle is mine and Alice's older brother; he's twenty five and decided to drop out of medical school to take care of Alice and I when our parents died in a car crash four years ago. He started doing miscellaneous jobs, enough to bring money in. He refused to use any money out of his trust fun until Alice and I turned 18 and could open ours. Eventually though, we just couldn't keep up with the demands so Carlisle started using the trust fund money; it kept us all fed and alive which is the most important thing. Carlisle bought a huge house on the outskirts of town, and it easily had over eight bedrooms.

This was good really, considering how Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper moved in with us about a year ago. Rosalie and Jasper had lived in Forks their whole lives, way before Carlisle moved Alice and I here. They seemed like two perfectly normal people, and Alice and I got on well with them, considering how the four of us were each a set of twins. What we didn't realise was that Rosalie and Jaspers parents were neglectful; they did drugs every day, drank, smoked and often forgot that their children even existed. When Carlisle found this out, being the kind hearted man that he is, he reported their parents to the police and fostered Rosalie and Alice.

Emmett moved in a couple of months later. Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle and I were taking a walk through the forest one afternoon when we heard the sound of people screaming and guns firing. Call us all stupid but we took off in the direction we heard the gunshots come from. Soon enough we came across Emmett sprawled across the ground, his father towering over him, waving his gun around; clearly drunk.

Carlisle managed to restrain Emmett's father; knocked him out cold as he did so. He then went to check on Emmett, using what little knowledge he had gained from his medical training. Emmett had been shot in the calf. Between all of us we managed to call the police out to come and collect Emmett's father and an ambulance to transfer Emmett to the hospital.

Needless to say, when Emmett went into the system, Carlisle jumped at the chance to foster him. Some people argued that Carlisle was far too young to look after all of us teenagers by himself, but when Carlisle proved that he could provide for us, he was left to it.

Plus, the fact that he met Esme soon after wasn't a bad thing. Esme was about twenty three and was crazily laid back. She always wore tank tops and low slung jeans, her caramel hair loose down her back. She was pretty, but not beautiful; not to me. But she was to Carlisle. She was perfect for Carlisle; relaxed, laid back, yet she had that vibe of an older sister; someone who you knew you could look up to, or talk with about anything and know that she isn't going to judge you. Esme moved into the house with us last, and it's been pretty comfortable since she has. She's sort of the regulator in the household; if any arguments break out, she's there ready to resolve the issue, even one as small as whose turn it was with the remote.

Esme was also the one to encourage the musical talents in the house. She'd heard me playing my guitar and singing along to one of my favourite songs _Bite my tongue-You me six._ She encouraged me to play for the family, who enjoyed it greatly. Esme was also the one who discovered that Emmett could play the drums like a professional, and that Jasper and Carlisle could also play the guitar. It was kind of funny how none of us had realised what the other could do until Esme showed up and pointed it out.

Thus, the idea of forming a band was formed. All four of us enjoyed playing and singing, so we figured, hey why not? We started up, calling ourselves _All time low_ and in the beginning we only sang covers of other peoples songs, such as You me six songs and Linkin Park songs. It was also a lucky think we all enjoyed the pop-punk, punk-rock genre. As time went on, our band got better, meaning we started writing our own songs and recording them. As the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the ban, I was given most of the responsibility with lyrics; though apparently I had a way with words too. Jasper played lead guitar and worked as backing vocals. Carlisle was a bassist who also played his hand at backing vocals. Emmett just played the drums, sticking to what he knew best. He's a kick ass drum player; not so much of a singer.

"I take it Ed's got over his block then?" came Carlisle's voice from the doorway. We all turned to face him, each with a wide grin on our faces. He stepped into the room, followed by Esme, who sat in her chair (a beanbag) in the corner of the room. From where she sat she could see everything. Carlisle went and got his own guitar, slung the strap around his neck and pulled a chair away from the dining table. He straddled in backwards and held his arms and guitar over the back of the chair. How he played like that I had no idea, but hey; whatever works for him.

"Do we have anything set in stone?" he asked, tuning his guitar.

"Yeah, we have the lyrics. Here, read 'em," Jasper tossed the notebook to Carlisle, who caught it with one hand. His eyes scanned the page, his foot tapping to a beat in his head. He threw the notebook to me, where I propped it up on the mic stand in front of me. Carlisle started playing an upbeat sound, nodding at us to encourage us to join in. Emmett started in with the drums, fitting in perfectly to the tone Carlisle had set. Jasper and I picked up our instruments and I quickly stepped up to the mic. I looked at the other three to get their nod of approval. I tapped my foot and when it came back around to Emmett's drums I began to sing with Jasper and Carlisle backing me.

_Lost in stereo, lost in stereo  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo_

Jasper and Carlisle faded out, leaving me to sing on my own for the rest of the song. I eagerly played along with the others whilst waiting for the right time to come up so I could start the next part of the song.

__

She works for the weekend  
Mix tape of her favourite bands  
Tearin' up the radio  
Lost in the stereo's sound

She's trouble in a tank top  
Pretty little time bomb, blowin' up  
Take you down, living in the radio  
Lost in the stereo's sound

She's dancing alone  
I'm ready to go but she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo  
She's out of control, so beautiful  
In stereo, lost in stereo

And I've been waiting for so long  
But she'll never know  
I'm losing hope 'cause she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo

I stopped playing, letting Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle keep going as I continued to sing. I grasped the mic stand between my hands, holding it tenderly as I sand the next lines into it. My hands moved of their own accord, one still caressing the mic, whilst the other started clenching into a fist in mid-air. My fist clenched in time to my singing.

__

Shake down on a Saturday  
Sit back, gotta catch my breath  
'Cause every time I see her  
I know she's gonna take it back somehow

I quickly picked up my guitar from around my neck and continued playing as I sang.

__

Tattoos and a switchblade attitude  
Snakebite heart with a bubble gum smile  
Sex in stereo, don't turn the radio dial

She's dancing alone  
I'm ready to go but she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo  
She's out of control, so beautiful  
In stereo, lost in stereo

And I've been waiting for so long  
But she'll never know  
I'm losing hope 'cause she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo

Jasper and Carlisle sang in time with me for the chorus, harmonizing with me in time to our upbeat new song.

__

And I'm just like cellophane  
'Cause she sees right through me  
I know she's glitter and gold  
And that's just the price I pay  
When I don't even know her name  
She's slipping away

She works for the weekend  
Mix tape of her favourite bands  
Tearin' up the radio  
Lost in the stereo's sound

She's dancing alone  
I'm ready to go but she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo  
She's out of control, so beautiful  
In stereo, lost in stereo

And I've been waiting for so long  
But she'll never know  
I'm losing hope 'cause she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo

She's dancing alone  
I'm ready to go but she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo  
She's out of control, so beautiful  
In stereo, lost in stereo

And I've been waiting for so long  
But she'll never know  
I'm losing hope 'cause she's so  
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo

As the four of us finished the song we were all panting from playing and singing; but we still had huge grins on our faces. So did the girls and Esme, who were clapping. They shouldn't really be clapping me, but clapping Bella. After all, she inspired the song. Esme handed us each a bottle of cool water from the mini fridge we kept in the music room; exactly for this reason. I downed the water, letting the cool liquid slide down my throat.

"So, who is she Edward?"

I choked and spluttered on my water, not expecting Carlisle to ask about the song, let alone assume that it was about a girl. I mean, it was… But he didn't have to know that. I'm glad my face was red from the jumping around id being doing whilst singing, or else he would know that I was blushing at his question.

"What makes you think there's a girl?" I asked, praying that the others would stay quiet about Bella. But, hope wasn't on my side. And apparently, neither were my siblings.

"Oh, don't get all shy about Bella now Edward, I mean… She did get you all creative again," Alice winked at Carlisle. I've never wanted to strangle a woman in my life, ever… But right now, I'm pretty damn close.

"Bella… Bella… Isabella Swan? The Chiefs daughter?" Carlisle asked, stroking his chin. Huh, she never said her name was Isabella.

"Yeah, that's her Carlisle! She's like the perfect match for Eddie boy here! She even gets his geeky humour and that stupid show he watches!" Emmett butted in. I growled at him.

"First, I am called Edward, Not Eddie boy. And the big bang theory is NOT stupid. Just because you don't understand sarcasm, you goon," I muttered angrily. Carlisle laughed at the pair of us, as did Esme.

"Well, if she gets you all creative Edward, I say go for it," Carlisle winked at me, before wrapping an arm around Esme's waist and leading her out to the living room, saying something about ordering a pizza as a celebration dinner. Emmett cheered and ran out, following them both to the living room, claiming that if we were celebrating that we needed to have a gamer marathon. And he says I'M a geek.

But the one thing playing on my mind was the fact that Carlisle told me to go for it, even though I hadn't known her that long. And Carlisle usually knows best… Isabella Swan, you perfect girl, here I come.

**A/N:**** Thank you for reading (:  
Please leave me your opinions on this chapter, I know it's a bit shorter than the last chapter, but I thought we should have a look into Edwards head and some of their history. Also, you got to see them at band practice.**

**What would you like to see happen further on in this story?**

**Review and you get yourself a singing Edward (;**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**** Third chapter, woo! Writing this one faster than any other story I've written! **

**I'm appreciating the reviews, please keep them coming:')  
Team Cullen: I wish you could log in too! My fellow Sixer, you are on the same wavelength as me, you should be worried (; Thank you for reviewing again xD  
Also, the band is just a garage band for now, and I'm still debating on whether Bella should be musical or not. Opinion?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; nope that rich ol' gal gets it all. Drat. I don't even own the bands to make up for this :'( **

All Time Low

Chapter Three  
BPOV

Cheese bubbled on the top of the lasagne I was holding in between my oven mitts. I blew a cold breath over the top of the dish, blowing the steam away from my line of sight so I didn't trip and fall with the scorching dish. That would be just my luck. I set it down on the counter then lay some tinfoil over the top of it to keep its heat in. I grabbed garlic bread out of the freezer and put it in the oven to defrost and then cook. I set the timer on my phone so I knew when to come down and take the food out before rushing as carefully as I could to my bedroom, changing out of my clothes and into some grey men's sweats and one of Charlie's flannel shirts. Being the shorty that I am, only standing at around 5'2, the shirt easily made its way to my mid-thigh. I tied it into a knot on the side of my waist then returned down the stairs to check on the garlic bread.

After getting in from school I'd spent an hour or so replying to the few emails I had received in the two days I'd been gone. I had one from my Mom and two from acquaintances from Phoenix. I wouldn't call them friends; we ate lunch together, that's it. After that I'd settled in on my bed to listen to music through the docking station I'd brought with me.

I knew Charlie wasn't going to be getting in until about 6-ish, so when it reached Five I decided to go start making dinner. I had gone shopping straight after school, being correct in my judgement that Charlie wouldn't have much food in the house. I picked up enough groceries to last us the week and for tonight decided to make Charlie a simple lasagne, garlic bread and salad; though I doubt he'll touch the salad.

Before I moved in I made it clear to Charlie that I would be the one who would be doing the cooking from now on. I've suffered through Charlie's meals before; they're not something you want to choke down ever again. That is, unless your tastes are begging for charred chicken and pasta. He was a little weary of my cooking; after all, I'm Renee's daughter, who specialised in making dishes out of foods that should never be put together. I'd choke down Charlie's burnt messes over Renee's marmite and eggplant sandwiches any day.

Just as I was taking the garlic bread out of the oven, all nice and crispy, I heard the front door open and Charlie's heavy footsteps in the hallway. I heard him pause as he hung up his coat and gun belt. When I was younger he used to take out the bullets of his gun so I didn't kill anyone by accident. The first time he saw me with a side fringe, which was when I was about 13, he took the bullets out then too. It was only when I promised him that I'm not homicidal that he trusted me enough to leave the bullets in the gun.

Speak of the devil; Charlie padded his way into the kitchen taking an appreciative sniff of the air. He grinned a small grin at my attire then without saying a word took out two plates and two sets of utensils. He laid the table then filled two glasses full with water. He sat down at his given seat at the table and just waited while I dished up the food onto our plates. Charlie waited for me to have taken my seat before digging into his food, his fork scraping the plate regularly. He finished his plateful before I'd even gotten halfway through my own.

Twenty minutes and three platefuls later, Charlie crumpled up the napkin he'd been using and threw it down onto his empty plate. He rested his hands on his podgy beer belly and scratched slightly, blowing out breaths like he'd just completed a marathon. While I was still eating he cleared his throat and asked me about my day.

"Pretty good. Didn't like some of the kids." I said after swallowing my bite of lettuce.

"Which kids?" Charlie asked in his gruff voice, his fuzzy eyebrows furrowing.

"Lauren Mallory, mainly. She tried to start something, but I set her straight."

"I hope you didn't fight her?"

"I didn't hit her no."

"That's good then. Have you made any friends?" he asked, once again furrowing his eyebrows. Charlie may be awkward, but it isn't hard to notice that he would feel bad if his daughter didn't have any friends just because she was different from most of Forks' teenage population.

"Yeah, actually; Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett and Edward Cullen. Recognise the names?"

"Ohh, Carlisle's siblings. I have to say, I was a bit worried when he moved his younger brother and sister to town; he wasn't that old to be looking after two thirteen year olds. Nah, he's got my respect though, 'specially after he practically saved and fostered the two blondes and that massive bear of a boy. Good family," Charlie said, his voice showing just how much respect he had for this Carlisle. He must mean it, because that's the most Charlie's ever spoken in one go I think. I nod at him and that's the end of our conversation. I finish the last bite of food on my plate before getting up to clear and wash the pots.

Charlie grunted and got up from the table, snagging the dish towel I'd just picked up from me. H snapped it against my back lightly, before grunting at the stairs, telling me I didn't have to wash up. Instead of following him, I turned on the tap and flicked him with some water, telling him no. He rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly. I shook my head smiling to myself then started washing up our plates and the dishes I'd used to cook with. Once I'd washed them I gave them to Charlie who dried them and put them away. We worked quickly, quietly and efficiently, the job getting done in minimal time.

We didn't speak once throughout the whole time we worked, yet we knew how to work with and around each other. Being awkward has its benefits.

-ATL-

"So how you enjoying Forks?" my Moms voice was tinged with barely concealed distaste. I rolled my eyes and turned down my iPod music. Mom had called around half an hour or so ago and so far all she's done is make me aware of her obvious hatred of Forks. If I don't stop rolling my eyes then they'll be stuck rolling round like marbles in my eye sockets.

"I love it actually Mom. I made some friends today and the classes are easy," I told her, putting her at a stop.

"Well, that's all well and good, but what about Forks itself?" she was relentless in trying to force her opinion on me. I don't know if she thought that if she tried to force her opinions on me that we'd be more alike but she couldn't be more wrong.

"Mom, I like it here. End of. How's Phil?" I asked changing the subject. I probably shouldn't have done that, seeing as once Renee gets started on Phil, she can't seem to shut up. For the next hour I 'hmm'ed' and 'yeah'd' in the right places to appease my mother. I managed to get off of the phone claiming that I had homework and sleep to catch up on. I told her that I loved her and bid her goodbye. I sighed heavily as I got off of the phone with her; it's not that I dislike my mother; on the contrary, I love her very much. It just seems like she never understands that we don't have to be exactly the same for us to have a good mother daughter relationship.

I did eventually get some of the homework I'd been given finished, meaning I could relax before I had to go to sleep. I plugged my iPod into the dock and flicked through my playlists, then decided to just shuffle all of my songs. As I nodded my head to the music and sang along to some of the songs I thought about the day I'd had.

I've never gotten into an argument as easily as I had with Lauren; back in Phoenix there were a few girls who dressed like I did and had they been the ones Lauren had spoken to, they would have crushed her. No one ever made comments about how we dressed in Phoenix because it was a bigger community; I could melt into the background and no one would care. Here in Forks though, most of the population seemed to be very closed minded and had a set way of thinking; apparently if you weren't the same as everyone else, you were shunned.

I thought about the Cullens. Charlie obviously liked them I could tell that much from the way he spoke about them. But then I thought about them at school; they sat in the farthest corner of the cafeteria, away from everyone else. Despite their beauty no one had bothered pointing them out to me. In fact, no one seemed to even take notice of them. I rolled my eyes at the close mindedness of the people here. If it weren't for those people I bet Forks would be damn near perfect for me to live in.

I've never really liked the heat that came with Phoenix. I mean, yes, I like the sun but I hate the heat, if that makes sense. I prefer to see the sun shining but with a breeze to go along with it. Though the sun hardly came out in Forks, I did enjoy the breeze and the cold here. It was a lot more refreshing to walk out in the morning into crisp air, than into smoldering heat.

Also, Charlie and I got along. He didn't try too hard to make me like him; he was himself and I love him for that. We work well together; who would have guessed that two awkward people made one semi normal person?

Let's not forget the Cullens. I think I can class them friends; I mean I got along with them quite well at lunch and they still seemed to like me by the end of the day. They were like me; not sheep. Though they're still all incredibly beautiful. And I decided; Edward has to be the most beautiful. I don't know whether it's his velvet voice, emerald green eyes, straight jaw or pouty lips, but he was the definition of perfect in my dictionary.

-ATL-

I woke up slightly disorientated before remembering that I fell asleep listening to music, still fully clothed. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and rolled off of the bed, turned my iPod off and went to jump in the shower. Once again the bath mat was rumpled and the mirror still slightly steamed. In the bottom corner of the mirror Charlie had drawn a '(:' face. I snorted at his middle aged immaturity and jumped into the stream of water.

I got out of the shower and ready in a total of twenty minutes. That meant clothes on, hair dried, straightened and make-up done. I grabbed my rucksack and the books I'd been given yesterday, then ran down the stairs into the kitchen and grabbed another granola bar. I was wearing my favourite _You Me Six _ tee, grey skinny jeans and my black doc martins. I had a grey beanie on my head and a matching grey zip up hoodie on my torso. I sat in the kitchen and enjoyed my granola bar until I had to set off for school.

When I stepped out of the front door I slipped on a patch of ice, barely catching myself on the porch railing. I shook my head at myself. Ice plus Bella equals an accident waiting to happen. I carefully made my way to my truck and climbed into the cab, then pulled out of the drive and was on my way to school. I drove slowly so I didn't crash the car, but when I looked in the wing mirrors I saw that all the ice had been scraped off of the road and to the side to prevent accidents.

I pulled into school and parked opposite the silver Volvo. Once again I was one of the last people to school, even though we still had around ten minutes before class began. I saw my new friends all huddled together around one side of the Volvo and grinned, slightly eager to join them. I jumped out of the cab, my rucksack firmly on my shoulders and my earphones whipping me in the face slightly.

I probably shouldn't have jumped out of the cab literally. Because apparently, the school hadn't scraped away the ice, as it had been scraped on the roads. And I also just had to part right next to the only spot of ice that I could see. I jumped out of the cab, straight onto the pile of ice and slipped straight onto my backside. I saw every head in the parking lot turn to face me, on the floor. I saw the Cullens turn to face me, concern etched into their faces, though I could see some traces of amusement; even this far away.

I did the only thing I could in this sort of situation. I laughed. I've fallen over so many times it's like God wants the ground and I to be connected by the butt at all times. I mumbled 'fuck it' to myself and lay back onto the ice, crossing my hands underneath my head, still laughing. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the refreshing (alright, freezing) ice seeping through my jacket.

"Are you okay, Bella?"

I snapped my eyes open to see the Cullens surrounding me. I stifled my chuckles until I had stopped laughing all together. I could see that they wanted to laugh but were more concerned with either, my sanity or my safety. I'm guessing it's for my sanity.

"I'm fine," I grinned at them, before sitting up onto my bottom. Edward reached his hand down to help me up, which I took gratefully; enjoying the warmth that seemed to come from Edward and mine's connection. I saw Alice grab my rucksack and took it from her with a nod of thanks. Before putting it on I pulled my hoodie off and threw it into the cab of my truck; it's just a little cold now that I'm off of the ground.

"So… Any reason why you decided to lay on the ice?" Emmett asked, that damn grin making his cheeks dimple. I started giggling some, just thinking back to when I fell. For some reason I find it hilarious.

"Eh, I just happen to fall so much. There's no need to get upset about it and come on… It's funny that I just so happen to be the one to trip and fall," I explained, quieting my giggles some. I stayed to talk with them some more until the bell rang, warning us to get to our first lessons. I bid them goodbye and went to my first class alone. Which passed in a blur and in no time at all I was sat in history.

I sat in the seat I'd chosen at the back, where I was alone and gave the impression that I didn't want to be talked to. I propped my feet up on the empty chair next to me and stuck one earphone in my ear, hiding the cord with my hair and hat.

My feet dropped from the chair when someone pulled it out from under the desk. I looked up from my iPod to see Jasper grinning at me. I grinned and propped my feet up once again once he was seated. I asked him what he was doing in this class, considering I hadn't seen him in here yesterday.

"I didn't come in until third period yesterday," he offered in response. I nodded and offered him an earphone. He took it and hid it behind his blonde hair. We spent the hour going through my playlists, debating about the qualities of each band through a note. When the bell rang we separated saying that we'd see each other at lunch and made our way to our own lessons.

I sat through Spanish, once again listening to my iPod, having learnt all the material back in Phoenix. In Trig, Jessica sat down next to me again but didn't speak to me until we were set a task to get on with. She flipped her frizzy brown hair behind her shoulder at the same time I flicked my fringe into my eyes. She rolled her eyes at me a little and I took notice of her obvious attitude change since yesterday.

"Why were you so nasty to Lauren yesterday?"

Is she being serious? I looked at her questionably but apparently she couldn't see anything wrong with the way Lauren had acted yesterday. Ah well, I guess I know who the lap dog is in their relationship.

"I'm not going to sit with her and be insulted. Sorry that no one else has ever had the courage to do that before." I told her bluntly, turning away from her to get on with the worksheet we'd been given. She muttered 'ugh' and turned her own back on me, obviously preferring to do her work perched on the edge of the table.

As soon as the bell rang I was up and out of there and heading straight to the cafeteria. I bypassed the lunch line completely, instead making my way over to the table I'd sat at with the Cullens yesterday. I sat down in the seat I had yesterday and waited for them to show. One by one they made their way into the cafeteria and into the lunch line. Soon enough they were all seated at the table, each with a tray of very questionable looking meat.

This time I was sat in between Rosalie and Alice and was opposite Edward. I greeted them and we fell into an easy conversation; something that's new to me. I told them I didn't feel like eating pig guts when they noticed my lack of a tray. I laughed to myself when Alice grimaced and pushed her tray away, seemingly finished with lunch for today.

"Oh look, Jess! It's the dyke and the freaks! Aw, how cute." I spun around in my chair and snapped back at Lauren before anyone could say anything.

"Aw, look! It's the slag! Aw."

"Do you really want to start with me?" Lauren asked, putting on a tough façade, though I think we both knew that I could beat her in a fight if I had to. I don't generally fight, but I can throw a punch if I'm provoked. I decided to mess with her and stood up to face her, getting as close as toe to toe with her.

"I think the real question is, 'Do YOU want to start with ME?' I suggest you take your skanky ass, go sit down and leave us alone. Got it?" I spoke to her quietly, calmly, threateningly. She shivered before grabbing Jessica's elbow and dragged her away, back to their table. I sat myself down and shivered slightly.

"Dude. You're fucking awesome." Emmett said to me as he reached around Rosalie to offer me a fist bump. I laughed and returned the bump, then told them that I don't appreciate people insulting me or my friends. Alice and Rosalie both looked thankful for that, as did Jasper and Emmett. I couldn't decipher the emotion on Edward's face however; it looked to be a mix of awe an appreciation. I shivered again, though this time it wasn't from the cold.

I saw Edward shrug out of the navy blue jacket he was wearing and watched as he rose from his seat, walked round to mine and draped his jacket over my shoulders. I tried to refuse the jacket, stating that now he'd be cold; but he ignored my protests and told me to wear it. I conceded and put it on properly, zipping it up and rolling up the sleeves a little. I popped the hood over my head and hugged it around myself. My senses flooded with Edward's distinct smell; freshly cut grass and what I imagine sunshine would smell like. I took what I thought was an inconspicuous sniff of the material, but flushed red when I saw that I hadn't been discrete enough. Edward grinned as I sniffed his jacket, then he moved the conversation on as not to embarrass me.

"Hey, Bella?" He asked, meeting my gaze, that damn crooked grin still firm on his lips. I tilted my head to the side in response. "Would you like to come over to our house tonight? It's the least we can offer for you sticking up for us, right?"

I looked around the others, who, though they looked shocked that Edward asked, all looked excited at the idea of me seeing them outside of school. I thought about it for a second; was there enough lasagna left to tide Charlie over? I saw Edward's grin falter a little and quickly replied.

"Sure, Charlie has enough food so it should be fine." I smiled at them in thanks for them asking me over. As I agreed, Edward's grin came back full force. I smiled back at him and felt a light dusting of pink speckle my cheeks when he winked at me. I shook my head at myself and got involved with the conversation Alice and Jasper were having about who was better: _You Me Six _or _The Used._

All the time I was talking however, I was aware of Edward eyes watching me. Normally this would make me fumble and make me act all awkward. But with Edward… I didn't mind it.

I kind of liked it.

**A/N:**** Thank you for reading:3**

**If you've never heard of them then I suggest you listen to some of the stuff by YouMe Six and The Used. Both epic bands! Oh and the song mentioned in the last chapter was **_**All time low- Lost in stereo.**_

**I'd love your opinions please, any recs on bands or music for me to use is welcomed!  
So please review (I'm not above begging!)**

**ZoeJayne**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**** Fourth chapter :3 **

**Vamplover4ever: thank you for the review, appreciate it :3**

**I appreciate it everyone who has reviewed as well, so thank you! Hopefully the story might kick off a bit more soon! Feel free to rec my stories to people, I honestly wouldn't mind (;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or any bands mentioned. I do own their merchandise though ;3**

All Time Low

Chapter Four  
EPOV

"Bella, I was thinking if I ride with you I can show you the way to our house? Unless that makes you uncomfortable?" I asked, leaning against the driver side door to her rusty old truck. I had my hands balled into fists and tucked safely away into my jean pockets, so that the shaking they were doing was unnoticeable to Bella. I didn't want her to think I was forcing myself on her; but damn I want the extra time alone with her. So much so, I was willing to let someone other than me drive the Volvo. Madness, I know.

I looked down into Bella's huge doe eyes and waited for her to reply. Tendrils of her mahogany hair floated around us in the wind. Working up the nerve I un-balled one of my fists and tucked a strand back behind her dainty ears; brushing my knuckles against the hood of my jacket. Seeing her stood there, wrapped up in the jacket I'd worn previously was enough to make me fight off the cold. Besides, the blue looked so much better on her.

"Yeah, that'd be great actually. Knowing me I'd get lost, even following your car," she grinned, her cheeks once again reddening with my contact; I loved that I could make her blush at the slightest thing. I smiled slightly then fished my car keys out of my pocket and looked up to see where the others were. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett stood around the Volvo; all watching Bella's and mine interaction with small smirks on their faces. Bella turned around to see what I was looking at and once she saw we had company her cheeks reddened further, matching the light pink colouring my own cheeks. I rolled my eyes and threw my keys towards Jasper. Out of the four of them he was the calmest, therefore making him the most careful driver. I knew he wouldn't dare get a scratch on my baby.

I turned and opened Bella's door for her, cringing slightly when the door creaked massively. I wanted to hate the truck but when I saw the small smile grace Bella's lips as she started it, I wanted to kiss the damn thing for making her happy. I rolled my eyes at myself before running around to the passenger side and climbing up into the cab. Bella was rummaging through her rucksack and after a few moments of searching she produced her cell phone. She threw the small touch screen at me and I caught it nimbly. I stared at her dumbly; why would I need her phone?

"Could you text Charlie for me please, just put: 'Will be at Cullens, leftovers in fridge. B'," She explained. I nodded and scrolled through her contacts list, looking under 'D' for Dad, but she didn't have anyone as Dad listen. Instead I scrolled up to the C's and sure enough, there was Charlie's name. I quickly sent of the text, making it look like I was fumbling around a bit so I had time to add my number to Bella's contacts without her knowing. I quickly added my information, along with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett's. There, now she had all of our numbers in case she needed us. I slotted her phone back into her rucksack and turned to face Bella.

I hadn't noticed that she'd pulled out of the school and was now driving down the main road. I brought my knees us so I could rest my chin on them. I watched Bella as she drove, enjoying how she poked her tongue out of her pink lips when she concentrated, or when she blew her fringe out of her eyes when she got frustrated. Bella turned her head to look at me momentarily, her brow furrowed.

"What're you staring at over there?"

I could lie and say nothing, or say I was staring past her and out of her window… Or I could tell her the truth; I was staring at an incredibly beautiful girl who captivated me with every movement she made. Or I could dumb that down a bit, considering I'd sound like a weirdo if I came out with all of that jargon.

"Just you. You look beautiful," I said. That was enough right? Not enough to creep her out, and just enough to compliment her. I smiled crookedly at the blush that once again rose on her cheeks; damn I love that blush. She rolled her eyes at me and turned her eyes back to the road. I swept my fringe back under my beanie, freeing my view of my hair so I could look at her properly.

We were coming up to the turn off for my house so I quickly sat upright in my seat, my feet back on the floor of the cab. I pointed out the turn to her which she took dutifully, taking us down the hard mud path. We were in a small part of the forest and the next cut off was sort of abrupt. I pointed it out to her a few minutes before she had to turn though, so Bella had no trouble finding the cut off and taking us down the driveway.

Bella pulled her snail of a truck to a stop not a few minutes later, stopping right behind the Volvo. I hadn't noticed how slow the journey had taken until I saw the Volvo already parked up and empty of passengers. I grabbed mine and Bella's rucksacks and jumped out of the cab, rushing around to open her door for her. I offered her my hand to help her down, which she took with a small smile. She tried to take her bag from me but being the shorty she is, she couldn't reach it when I held it above my head. She huffed and stomped her foot slightly. If anyone else had done that I would have found it incredibly annoying, but because it was Bella who began acting like a child, I found it incredibly endearing. I simply smiled at her, dangled both of our bags by their straps in one hand and led Bella to the front door by the small of her back.

As I led her into the house I could hear the others all down in the music room, playing some of our recordings over. I smiled to myself then dumped mine and Bella's bags at the bottom of the stairs. I wanted to give her a tour before taking her to the music room. I turned to face a still stony faced Bella. I raised an eyebrow in question.

"You didn't have to carry my bag for me you know," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. I smirked at her before slinging an arm over her shoulder and bending down a little until our faces were at a matching height.

"I know I didn't have to, I wanted to. Okay?" I smiled crookedly at her, laughing through my nose when she huffed but let it drop. Or at least I thought she'd dropped it. She dropped her arms from her chest suddenly, a mischievous grin taking place on her lips. I stared at her in confusion, waiting for her to do something to match her grin. Quicker than I could have stopped her, she reached up and snagged the beanie off of my head, ducked out from under my arm and ran back towards the front door. I laughed a small laugh to myself before taking off after her.

I caught up with her as she was struggling to open the front door. I rolled my eyes and trapped her against the front door with my eyes. Her chest was heaving with her giggles as she tried to duck out from under my arms again. Not happening. I wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up, slinging her over my shoulder. She shrieked, then started beating my back with her tiny fists.

"Fancy putting me down?" She giggled, sounding slightly off due to the fact that she was upside down. I tapped her on the back of her thighs and grinned when she shrieked again.

"Not really, no. Fancy giving me my beanie back?"

"Not really, no."

I laughed and ran up the stairs with her bouncing on my shoulder the whole time. I set her upright once we were on the hallway, giggling like a girl when I had to steady her when she stumbled. Taking advantage of her weakness, I snagged my beanie back from her and set it back in its rightful place; keeping my bronze locks tame. I grabbed Bella's wrist (gently) and guided her around the second floor of the house. I showed her Rosalie and Emmett's room, Alice and Jaspers room and completely bypassed Carlisle and Esme's room. I then took her up to the third floor and let her in my bedroom; the room I hardly let anyone enter.

We stayed in my room for a good half an hour; I sat on the black couch as she examined my music and books. We talked about our favourite books, colours, places etc. whilst listening to some of my music. Eventually though, we both heard the front door slam and two new voices join the other four that had migrated to the living room. I decided that now was the time to introduce her to Carlisle and Esme.

"Want to meet my brother and his girlfriend?" I asked as she looked towards the door of my bedroom. I noticed her tense up a little and her face go into a blank mask. I squatted in front of her, holding her wrists until she relaxed and looked at me. "Do you not want to?" She took a deep breath before replying.

"I do; I just… I don't do that well with new people." She explained.

"You did fine with us?" I knew she was awkward, but does she actually get scared of people? As if reading my thoughts, Bella explained.

"I know I did, but you all made me comfortable. It's not that I'm scared of people, I just don't know how to speak to them that much; having a socially awkward father does that to a girl. Plus, Charlie respects your brother; what if I mess up?"

"Bella, you got on fine with us, which means that you will be perfectly fine with Carlisle and Esme; Carlisle's like me, Jasper and Emmett mixed together and Esme… She's a little like you actually; really damn sweet." I kept rubbing her wrists, relaxing her further until she felt able to go down and meet my brother and Esme. I reminded her that I would be there to help her keep calm, as would Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. This seemed to help her as she set her shoulders back and raised her head up high. It also made me slightly giddy that she pulled my hoodie closer around her and took a sniff of the material when she thought I wasn't watching.

Carlisle and Esme were sat huddled together in the oversized chair when we got down to the living room. Alice and Jasper were sat on one of the couches, laid out and holding hands. Rosalie was sat in the normal sized chair, with Emmett on the floor leaning up against her legs. They all turned to face Bella and me when they took notice of our presence. The latter four all grinned and waved, all shouting out various phrases of greetings to Bella and I. Esme pushed herself up from where she sat and flounced over to where Bella stood. Without saying a word, she hugged Bella; a light hug, then stepped back and introduced herself.

"Hey, I'm Esme," she grinned lazily, her caramel hair swishing when she nodded her hair. Bella smiled a little stiffly and repeated the greeting. Carlisle came up behind Esme and put his hands on her shoulders. I was slightly disgruntled when Bella's mouth dropped slightly at the sight of him.

I felt better though when Bella leaned into me for support.

I wasn't sure how Carlisle was going to greet Bella; would he channel me and go for a 'Hi, how are you?' or a Jasper with a calm handshake and a 'Hey there' with a lazy grin, or would he channel Emmett and give her a massive bear hug and a 'Nice to meet you!'.

Apparently he was feeling like Jasper and reached out to shake her hand, grinning at her, not at all threateningly. Bella had really nothing to worry about. I could feel her relaxing and even though she hadn't said much I knew she felt better just from the way her shoulders looked less tense than they did back up in my bedroom.

-ATL-

"So where'd you two go off to when you got here? We were waiting for you," Alice said once we were all settled back around the couches. The others had gone back to their previous seats, leaving the loveseat open for Bella and I to sit on. Instead though, I dumped her on the couch and sat on the floor by her head, choosing to play with her fingers. She didn't seem to mind and I didn't miss the sly (or not so sly, if you think about it) smiles from the rest of my family.

"I took Bella on a tour, after the witch stole my hat," I mock huffed, sending a sideways smile at Bella. She rolled her eyes at me and snatched the beanie back off of my head. She then proceeded to sit on my beanie and stick her tongue out at me. I pouted at her, pleading silently for my beanie back but she ignored me and smiled innocently at the rest of the room. Yeah she's fine now.

"Shouldn't have called me a witch, should you, Penny head?" she snorted. I made a 'Pfft' noise and smacked her hand away from me gently. I was grinning though, so the severity of the action was lost. She just snorted again and ruffled my 'Penny' hair.

"Are you two done?"

Both of our heads snapped up to see the amused faces of my family. It was Emmett who had spoken, that damn grin he always wore set firmly on his cheeks. I rolled my eyes and decided to move on the conversation.

"Shall we go to the music room? I haven't shown Bella in there yet," I said, pushing myself up from the ground and pulling Bella up by the wrist. She stumbled slightly so I caught her and steadied her. She was mumbling something about 'Not pulling clumsy people around like ragdolls'. I shook my head and let the others filter out of the room and down the hall before allowing Bella and myself to follow them.

Everyone was already sat around the large table so Bella and I followed them. I watched her as she took in the room, a look of awe on her face. She muttered a 'shit' under her breath, though we all heard her. He eyes seemed to grow even wider as she took in the multiple guitars and the drum set against the back wall. She turned to the table.

"You play?"

"Me, Eddie boy, Jazz and Carlie do, yeah," Emmett grinned from across the table. Carlisle and I growled at him. Neither of us liked the nicknamed Emmett had for us, but no amount of growling seemed to change them. No in fact, it encouraged Emmett to call us the names more.

"What do you play?"

"I play drums, Eddie's Rhythm guitar, Jazz's leading guitar and Carlie's Bassist," Emmett explained. Instead of growling I gave Emmett the stink eye, before switching my focus to Bella. She was watching the four of us mentioned with wide eyes, as if she didn't know anyone who could play instruments before us. Carlisle stood from his seat and went to play one of our previous recordings; not _Lost in stereo_ thank god!

One of our first songs came on, _Damned if I do ya (damned if I don't) _and I was immediately tapping my foot along to it. I haven't heard this one in a while.

_I fought it for a long time now  
While drowning in a river of denial  
I washed up, fixed up, picked up all my broken things  
'Cause you left me, police tape, chalk line  
Tequila shots in the dark scene of the crime  
Suburban living with a feeling that I'm giving up  
Everything for you_

Bella was nodding her head along to the beat, listening intently to the lyrics. I felt proud to have come up with them, along with Jasper.

_But you made me do when I don't like  
Dancing in the alley with the street rat nightlife  
Can't keep living with a feeling that I'm giving up everything for you_

Bella's eyes closed as she listened and I'll be damned if I ever saw anything more beautiful. This perfect girl, eyes closed, listening to the song I wrote and sang so intently, really getting into the music my brothers and I had created. Everyone else at the table had their own heads nodding along to the beat of the song and even though we'd heard it a thousand times before, it never got old to hear us sounding all professional, when we're only a family band. We listened until the end of the song and as soon as it finished, Bella's eyes were open and looking around the room before landing on me.

"Who was that? They sound familiar."

I couldn't help the chuckle I gave off. Maybe because it was me, Bella? Instead of saying this I just grinned and let Carlisle answer her question.

"You mean the singer, or the band all together?" he asked, smiling himself.

"Both, it sounded awesome!"

"Well the band was _All time low. _Who just happen to be myself, Emmett, Jasper and Edward. Edward's the singer you just heard," Carlisle told her, the grin on his face growing as Bella spun around to face me with her mouth agape. I don't think her verbal filter was working after that news.

"That was you?! Shit, your voice is sexy."

Realisation dawned on her as Bella clamped a hand over her mouth quickly, her face turning from alabaster to red in seconds. I laughed out loud, as did the rest of the table, Emmett laughing the loudest. Bella squared her shoulders and told the other three members of the band that they also sounded amazing in an attempt to make her blunder seem less obvious.

-ATL-

Bella spent another hour and a half at our house before she had to head off back home. We'd gone back up to my room, along with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett and spent the time just chatting and laughing. I think my siblings were shocked that I allowed them to come into my room; I never let them in my room. Emmett always found time to mess up my carefully organized CD's and Alice always had a whinge at the crumpling paint on my wrought iron bed post.

When it was time for her to leave, I walked Bella out to her truck where she tried to return my hoodie. I refused, telling her to keep it. It really did look a lot better on her than it did on me. As I opened Bella's door for her, I stopped her from climbing in straight away and looked straight at her, pushing her fringe out of her eyes with my thumb. I sucked in a deep breath before asking the question I'd been wanting to ask all night, but hadn't dared to until now.

"Bella, would you like to go on a date with me sometime?"

"I'd like that Edward."

After I sent her off in that damned truck, I was smiling for the rest of the night; happy that I'd asked out the perfect girl, happy that she'd agreed. The only problem I had was where to take her. I need something different; something Bella. I may have to enlist Alice for help.

Damn, I must really, _really_ like this girl.

**A/N:**** Thank you for reading:3**

**The song I used in this chapter was Damned if I do ya (Damned if I don't)- All Time Low.**

**Feel free to check it out!**

**Please review, after all, reviews=LOVE (;**

**ZoeJayne**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**** Fifth chapter! I'm on a roll with this!**

**Guest: thank you for the review, I love that you get it :3 I don't plan to have a love triangle either, not happening to these adorable little dorks!(:**

**Thank you to those of you who keep reviewing, and like I said before please feel free to pimp me out to people :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, nothing at all. Nope, nada, zilch.**

All Time Low

Chapter Five  
EPOV

I was freaking out. Big time. As in, freaking out so much that I've had to change shirts three times already from the sweaty nerves. I don't often get nervous; I've almost taught myself that I should never be nervous, because when I'm nervous, I sweat. And right now, my skin feels like it should be a waterfall with the amount of sweat falling from my pores.

I don't know why I'm so nervous; oh that's right; maybe because it's my date with Bella tonight. I did enlist Alice to help me set up the perfect date; which by the way, was almost like torture. Alice is easily excited and tends to get grabby when she's excited. Needless to say, as soon as she was done helping me I passed her on to Jasper just so she'd stop pinching my damn cheeks.

Alice had just left my room for the last time, finally pleased with how I looked. I looked the same as I always did, if not a little tidier. I was wearing my favourite black skinny jeans, a loose belt threaded through the belt loops in my jeans. Alice decided that instead of a band shirt, I should wear a wife beater, so I chose a dark grey one; one that clung to my chest. I don't want to sound vein, but I think I have a decent chest, why not show it off a little? Finally, on top of the wife beater I had a button up denim jacket, left unbuttoned of course.

My hair was still a lost cause, no matter how much gunk Alice had tried to put in it. After about thirty minutes of non-stop tugging at my hair, I told her to shove off and did my hair myself. This meant I shoved a beanie over my head, making my bronze, or 'penny' hair fall into my eyes.

It was five thirty and I had to pick Bella up at six. As a general Saturday rule I had spent the previous part of the day hanging around in the music room with my brothers, tinkering about with past songs and coming up with little tunes; however today most of my focus was taken by the beautiful brunette I had the luck to score a date with. My brothers noticed my lack of attention, but let it slide as they knew I was worried about the date. I hoped Bella liked where I was taking her.

At five-fifty Alice promptly shoved my converse sneakers at me and practically threw me out of the front door, throwing my car keys out at me as a second thought. I rolled my eyes at her and shouted a goodbye. I sat in the Volvo for a couple of minutes, relaxing myself so I didn't have to go back inside and change my shirt yet again.

-ATL-

"You look beautiful," I told Bella as I helped her into my car. And she did; skin tight jeans, a white tank top with an oversized flannel shirt over the top which had been tied at the waist. She didn't have her usual beanie on her head; instead her hair hung low down her back, her fringe still handing over her eyes. But without the hat I could see the red tints in her hair underneath her porch lights. She too had a pair of converse on and I couldn't help but admire how she felt comfortable enough to wear her comfortable clothes. Most girls would dress up completely for a date. There's nothing wrong with that but I loved that Bella could be herself around me; I was getting to know the real Bella, not some fake she pretended to be.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she laughed quietly as soon as I was situated in the driver's seat. I started the car then picked up Bella's hand and held in on my knee; this was acceptable right? I looked at her face quickly, loving the way her brown eyes popped. I settled down when all I saw was a relaxed grin.

As I drove us to Port Angeles I started a game of 20 questions with Bella. I found out that she loved to read the classics, she missed her mother; but she loved Forks. Bella's mother seemed to be a bit of a sore spot for Bella, so I left those questions alone… For now. Eventually, I want to know everything about Bella and her family. In turn, she found out that I loved my family above material possessions; though my guitars are considered family. She asked about the band and I answered her questions diligently, wanting to give her all the information I could.

Soon enough however I pulled up outside the small restaurant that Alice had helped me pick. _La Bella Italia_. We didn't just choose the place because it had 'Bella' in it. We didn't, I swear. Okay, maybe a little. But Alice also told me that the food was supposed to be exquisite, so I thought why not? I jumped out of the car to help Bella out, but was disappointed when I saw her climbing out by herself. I walked around to meet her and frowned slightly.

"What're you frowning at, Penny head?" I smirked at her nickname for me; anyone else had called me it and there would be trouble. But Bella was allowed. Just not often.

"You didn't let me help you out of the car!" I pouted at her, bending down to see her face. She giggled and shook her head before reaching out a hand to tap my bottom lip. I had to resist the urge to poke my tongue out and lick her dainty little finger.

"If you keep making all these adorable little faces, you'll be stuck that way, Penny," she smirked before letting her hand drop. I caught it with my own and straightened up from my bent position. I simply shook my head at her and grinned, before leading us towards the restaurant, swinging our connected hands between us.

-ATL-

The waitress glared at Bella slightly before handing us our menus and complementary glasses of water. I frowned at her when she looked up at me, sending her away immediately. She scurried away, her tail tucked between her legs. No one should glare at Bella.

I reached for her hand and held it on top of the table as I flicked through the menu, stroking my thumb against the palm of her hand continuously, enjoying the hitch in Bella's breath the first time I did it. I snuck glances at her from over the top of my menu when she wasn't looking. In the dim light of the restaurant I could barely make out the blush that sprinkled Bella's cheeks.

"What are you having?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. I glanced down at my menu, finalized my order in my head and closed the menu, setting it down in front of me.

"I'm going to go with a real Italian traditional dish. Pepperoni Pizza," I smirked, laughing when she did.

"Wow, I thought you were going to sprout off all this Italian malarky; guess not," she paused to giggle again. She shook her head then looked back at her menu before closing it and setting it on top of mine. "I'll have the Mushroom Ravioli I think,"

"Sounds more Italian than pizza," I winked. She laughed again and I reveled in the bell like sound. I saw a male waiter waiting to come and serve us so I called him over to us with a nod of my head. I wondered briefly if I had offended the waitress, but then came to the conclusion that I didn't particularly care.

"Hi, I'm Gavin. I'll be your waiter for the rest of the evening; are you two ready to order?" 'Gavin' asked with a bright smile. I took note of the fact that he didn't stare at Bella inappropriately once; in fact he barely looked at her. He obviously knows we're on a date. Good man. Bella and I repeated our orders and with a promise to return shortly, Gavin flounced off towards the kitchen. Not nearly two minutes after Gavin had left us, Bella burst into giggles yet again. I raised an eyebrow questioningly at her.

"Seems you have an admirer, Penny," she managed to get out through her giggles. What?

"What are you talking about?"

"Please, he wouldn't stop staring at you. Personally, I think it's the hair."

"He was not staring at me."

"Edward, it's okay that men find you pretty too you know," she giggled again. I wanted to be mad at her for saying that I attract gay men, but I couldn't find it in me when she snorted a little in her laughter. Instead I simply shook my head and rolled my eyes at her, though the smile on my face indulged her.

-ATL-

"I can't believe he gave you his number!" Bella laughed heartily as she leaned back in the passenger seat of the Volvo. Ten minutes after we had finished eating, Gavin brought us the check and a small napkin. I could see some scribbling on the napkin and had been instantly furious that the man had the nerve to leave Bella his number whilst she was on a date. I was about to scrunch it up when I caught sight of what the words actually said.

'_Beautiful boy, give me a call some time? Gavin x'_

Along with his number. Needless to say, as soon as I had the bill paid I was dragging a giggling Bella out of there as fast as I could, resisting the urge to plant one on her as a show that I was straight. I threw that thought out of my head quickly when I reminded myself that I should kiss Bella when the time is right, not to show my sexuality to an admirer. Instead I simply left the napkin on the table and all but ran out of there.

"That's right, laugh it up."

"Don't worry, I plan to."

I started driving us out of Port Angeles, slowly, not wanting to let any more time with Bella go to waste. Once again I held her hand on my knee and she never complained, not once. We didn't play any games on the way back, instead we chose to listen to one of the CD's I had in my car. I let Bella rifle through them, until she chose the perfect disk to play. She pushed it into the CD player and pressed play. _Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_ filled the car. I took a sneak at the album Bella had put in, content when I saw that it was their _Don't you fake it_ album.

_The moon is shining bright  
The mood is feeling right  
I'll kiss you on your neck  
People will stare but we won't care_

The moon is shining quite brightly as we entered the Forks welcome sign. I stoked Bella's hand again with my thumb, listening to her shuddering breath. From the corner of my eye I could see her tapping her head along with the song, making her hair bounce off of her shoulders.

I pull up outside of Bella's house and with a warning glare at her to stay in her seat; I rush around to help her out. The music in the car was still playing just loud enough for me to hear the lyrics being sang.

_I'm wishing you were here  
My weakness is my fear  
Alone I am myself  
No reason left for me to care_

I was about to start speaking to Bella when a click came from near Bella's porch. I glanced over, hearing the footsteps creaking on the floor just inside her front door. He dad must be waiting up for her. I looked down at Bella, watching her beautiful face. Before I could lose the nerve id gathered from the adrenaline racing through me, I gently tucked her hair behind her ear and bent down to gently press my lips to hers, once, twice, three times. She responded quickly, never rushing the slow gentle brushing of our lips. I broke away after a few seconds and rest my forehead against hers; I've never felt so alive.

_Distracted by the sound  
I hear footsteps all around  
Empowered by adrenaline  
Feel I've been born again_

"You should go inside," I smiled as I stroked my thumb down the apple of her cheek. "Oh and before I forget, Alice wanted to know if you'd stop by tomorrow?" Please say yes, please say yes, please say…

"Yeah, absolutely," she grinned up at me, before standing on her tip toes and pressing a kiss to my cheek. I may or may not have blushed a little. She giggled that cute giggle of hers and ducked past me to go into her house. I leant on the car door, watching to make sure she got in alright before jogging around to the driver's side, climbing in and drove myself home.

-ATL-

I flicked off Alice's advances as soon as I got through the front door, instead going to grab a root beer out of the fridge in the kitchen. Alice followed me, nagging at me to tell her all about mine and Bella's date. I shrugged her off, though it wasn't effective because though my shrugging seemed dismissive, the smile on my face was like a welcoming sign.

Alice followed me around for another ten minutes until I gave in with a huge sigh and promised to tell her. She squealed and shouted for my other siblings to join us in the living room. I rolled my eyes and went to sit down in the oversized chair, spreading myself out in it, sipping regularly from my root beer.

Soon enough I was surrounded by my youngest siblings, Carlisle and Esme nowhere in sight. I looked around for them, but Jasper informed me that they took advantage of Saturday night and decided to go bar hopping up in Seattle; they wouldn't be home until at least mid-afternoon tomorrow. As soon as those questions were out of the way I was bombarded with questions about the date; how was it? Was the food nice? Did Bella like it? Did we connect? Did I kiss her?

"Great. Yes. Yes. Yes. And Yes." I grinned, giving them minimal information for their questions. I knew it would drive Alice and Rosalie crazy; they always liked details. As for Jasper and Emmett, the only part they seemed to have picked up on was the fact that I had indeed kissed Bella. Both boys had small smirks on their faces, to which I rolled my eyes at.

"When?"

"How?"

They asked at the same time, expecting me to divulge them with the information. It felt wrong to tell them the details though; that kiss was special. It was sweet and gentle, but it still signified a lot about how I felt for Bella. So instead of answering their questions I simply smiled at them and let them think of the kiss how they wished to.

I finally gave in to Alice and Rosalie's nagging however, providing them information on the drive down to Port Angeles, how she teased me, how nice the meal was. I told them about the waitress who glared at Bella and was pleased when both girls scowled and muttered a curse at the waitress under their breaths. I didn't tell them about Gavin and his little love note however. That shall forever remain a secret between Bella and I.

I hope.

After another ten minutes of discussing how lovely Bella looked I fished my phone out of my pocket to check the time. Ten-thirty. Damn, I didn't realize that was the time. Though I could normally stay up much later, I couldn't stifle my yawns and immediately excused myself to go to bed. I ran up the stairs in record time, washed my face and changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants. I left my chest bare as it was unusually warm in my bedroom.

I lay on top of my covers, waiting for sleep to take me when my phone vibrated on the bedside table. Groaning I rolled over, grabbed it and brought it back to my face. Opening the text though, I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face.

**-Oh, I wonder how this number got here? Thank you for tonight, I had a great time (: B**

I grinned quickly then typed out my response.

**-Must have been the fairies again. It was no problem; I like spending time with you, E**

There, that sounded good right? Not too eager, not too disinterested. Plus it implies that I wouldn't be opposed to spending more time alone with her. Damn I'm good.

**-Damn fairies. I like spending time with you too Penny :3 I'm going to sleep now, I'll see you tomorrow? B**

**-Yes you will. Goodnight Bella, E xx**

**-xx**

I was grinning like a fool when I turned my phone off and turned to go back to sleep. I tossed for a while, then realised that I couldn't sleep due to the anticipation of seeing Bella again tomorrow. I lay in the black of my room, listening to the groan of the stairs as each of my siblings retreated to their beds for the night.

I'd told Alice earlier that Bella had agreed to come over tomorrow and I hadn't been able to help but notice the glint in her eyes. After sharing a womb with the girl and spending seventeen years living in the same house, I was fairly certain that I knew what that glint meant.

It meant 'I have a plan and I'm not going to tell you because you won't like it, but you will in the long run.' Long, I know, but that's Alice.

I finally drifted to sleep thinking about tomorrow and what Alice had up her sleeve for us all. As long as I got to see Bella again, I'm sure I'll be able to put up with it.

**A/N:**** Thank you for reading!**

**What did we think of the date?**

**The song I used in this chapter was Damn Regret-Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Great band, seriously, check them out!**

**Please leave me a review so I know what you think!**

**ZoeJayne**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**** Here's chapter six!**

**Thank you to those of you who did review, I appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own nothing )':**

All Time Low

Chapter Six  
EPOV

I woke up with a grin on my face. I showered and dressed with a grin on my face. I hopped down two flights of stairs with a grin on my face, even jumping off the bottom step with a grin on my face. To say that I was in a good mood would be a gross understatement.

It was around about Nine-forty five and I had a text from Bella ten minutes ago telling me that she'd be here for ten, unless that was too early. I told her not to be ridiculous and that I couldn't wait to see her. She replied with that she couldn't wait to see me either.

Hence the grinning.

I rummaged around in the cupboards for something to prepare from breakfast, finally settling on some premade pancakes that I only had to heat up. I did so quickly, getting over a dozen pancakes ready; it's a good thing we buy in bulk or we'd never have enough food to feed everyone in this house.

The smell of pancakes must have alerted the others that it was time to come downstairs as they all soon entered the kitchen, all fully dressed and presentable. They each sat in their respective places around the table and waited for me to serve up their pancakes. As I was doing so a resounding knock came from the front door, so I sent Alice to go and let Bella in.

I heard the two talking and laughing as Alice led Bella to the kitchen. I caught her eye as she walked in and gave her a crooked smile, enjoying the small blush on her cheeks. I let her get sat down and finished serving up pancakes, then got out bottles of syrup and sauce. Soon enough we were all sat around, eating breakfast and every now and then someone would make a delighted sound which made the rest of us giggle like children.

When Bella started rolling her pancake into a tube shape I watched her with questionable eyes and a raised eyebrow. She ignored me and continued to roll the pancake until it was in a tight tube. She then rolled the tube the other way so the full thing ended up being a bite sized little square. She popped it in her mouth and chewed; a smile on her face. When she met my eyes she laughed and explained herself.

"I'm too lazy to cut it up at this time in the morning. This way, I get the full flavour and I don't have to do anything but roll," she giggled again when Emmett lifted his head to look at her then looked back down at his food. Sure enough, he tried it and enthusiastically told us what a brilliant idea it was. Which had the rest of us rolling up a pancake to test the method.

Needless to say, I won't need a knife and fork when I have pancakes any more.

A few minutes later we were all finished thanks to the new time efficient way of eating pancakes, so we cleared the table and I loaded the pots into the dishwasher. Alice then herded us all into the living room, that glint from last night back in her eyes. I looked at her tentatively, questioning myself on whether I really wanted to follow her or not. Alice glared when she senses that I was hesitant to follow her, which in turn made me almost run to the living room. Alice has a damn scary glare.

"So what are we doing Alice?" Jasper asked, making me sigh with relief. After that glare I didn't want to get on the wrong side of Alice. Instead of glaring at Jasper, Alice took perch on his knee and smiled that butter wouldn't melt smile. I rolled my eyes but listened to her as she explained.

"We're going to play a game," she said with a grin, looking around each of our faces. I'm sure there were varying expressions from the rest of us, probably ranging from excitement (Emmett) to hesitant (Me).

"Quoting _Saw_ now Alice?" Bella asked from her seat next to me, a small grin on her face. I snorted and laughed a bit more when Alice stuck her tongue out at Bella.

"Ha. No, we're playing Truth or Dare," she grinned again, that damned glint taking a permanent residence in her eyes. I rolled my own eyes and groaned a little. Alice loves to play Truth or Dare; I don't know why I didn't see this coming last night. I was shocked when I heard a giggle coming from Bella, her eyes lit up.

"Bring it on, Pixie stick," she giggled. Alice growled at her which only made Bella laugh harder. She probably shouldn't have done that; Alice can be brutal in this game.

"Oh it's on. I'll go first; Bella. Truth or Dare?" Alice asked, a sweet yet devious smile on her lips. I waited for Bella to quiver like most people do and chose Truth…

"Dare."

Was not expecting that. Alice grinned and tapped her index finger on her bottom lip, pretending to think hard about what she would dare Bella to do. She sat up after a few moments of 'thinking' and grinned even wider at Bella. Bella didn't change her relaxed position on the couch next to me.

"I dare you to drink whatever I make you," Alice giggled. Bella shrugged and just agreed to the dare. Alice laughed before skipping off of Jaspers lap and skipping through to the kitchen. The rest of us looked at Bella as if she were crazy; she would have to drink whatever Alice made… It could be _anything._ Bella saw our look and simply shrugged with a grin before following Alice into the kitchen. The rest of us exchanged a glance then hauled ass to follow the girls into the kitchen.

We rounded the corner into the kitchen in time to see Alice hand Bella a glass full of a sludgy brown… substance. I grimaced just looking at it. Bella took a sniff of the glass and winced, eying the substance wearily.

"What is it?"

"That, Bella, would be a glass of marmite, mixed with coffee granules, some chicken fat we had in the fridge and a small amount of tabasco. Drink up,"

I gagged as Alice explained what was in the glass, wondering how someone so small could be so damned evil. Even Emmett was almost balking, which said a lot. Rosalie had her nose scrunched up and Jasper looked a little green around the gills. Bella though, she squared her shoulders and raised the glass to her lips, taking a huge swig of the concoction. She gagged as she swallowed, but didn't put the glass down, instead drained the cup, gagging with each swallow. I watched with wide, as I'm sure the others did too.

Bella slammed the glass down on the side, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She then turned from us immediately and held her mouth open under the tap, letting her mouth fill with water. She swilled the water then spat it, repeating the process a few times, then turned to face us all; a huge grin on her face.

"H… How?!" Emmett all but screamed at her. Being the most daring with food out of the five of us, Emmett never backed down from a challenge… But I could see that even he wouldn't of dared to drink what Bella did. Bella smiled at us all.

"My mother used to be a very unconventional cook. When living with her, you learn to swallow what you're given. I learned that from a young age," she simply laughed then waltzed back into the living room, a huge grin on her pink lips. Alice looked shocked and slightly annoyed that Bella had completed her task.

"I believe it's my turn, no?" Bella said as we each took our place back in the living room. Instead of sitting on the couch, Bella had settled herself into the oversized chair. I went over to her, pulled her up by the wrist, sat down in the chair and then pulled Bella in to sit beside me. She smiled up at me with a blush dusting her cheeks. I simply wrapped my arm around her shoulders and waited to see who she would ask.

"Hmm… Who to ask, who to ask… Jasper, Truth or Dare?"

"Hell, truth. I'm not drinking any shit like you just did."

Bella muttered 'wimp' under her breath before turning back to Jasper with a smile. "Alright. You have to marry one, kill one and have a night of sex with one. You have to choose from Emmett, Edward and Carlisle," Bella giggled to herself. Jaspers face is what made me laugh; he looked somewhere between disgusted and highly disturbed.

"Bella, they're all my brothers; that's gross!" he whined, almost pleading with her to change the people. Bella stood firm and told him that he chose truth, he must answer truth. "Ugh. Okay, I'll kill Emmett, Marry… Carlisle and uh… yeah."

Well this just got slightly awkward. I don't know whether to feel flattered or grossed out. Bella kept giggling, along with Alice and Rosalie; who found it very amusing. Emmett broke the tension between the three of us males when he spoke up, disgruntled.

"Why would you sleep with Eddie and not me?!"

"Bro, your muscles would kill me! Plus Edwards just soooo dreamy," Jasper explained, then teased. I snorted and pulled Bella closer in to my side. It was almost hard to do when her body was convulsing with giggles.

"It's the hair I tell you, Penny," Bella giggled, referring to the waiter last night. I growled at her a little, though I tightened my hold slightly on her shoulder. She simply giggled yet again and cuddled herself into me. And damn if I didn't like it.

"Alright, alright. My turn. Edward, truth or dare?" Jasper asked me, getting us back on track with the game. Truth or dare? If I chose truth he could very well make me divulge some very personal information. If I chose dare he could dare me to do something extremely embarrassing.

"Dare." I sighed; let's face it. I'd rather embarrass myself than have any personal information given out.

"I dare you to swap clothes with Bella and wear them for the rest of the day"

I looked down at Bella, only just taking notice on what she was wearing. Skinny jeans, Doc Martins, a white collared shirt with a _Muse_ shirt over the top. I could wear that no problem. The skinny jeans might provide a little trouble however. I looked to Bella who looked fine with the dare I'd been given. I then dragged her up by the wrist (gently, of course) and led her to the downstairs bathroom. I ushered her in and stared at her, awkwardly.

She reached up and pressed a gentle kiss on my lips. I smiled into her and pecked her lips in return.

"What was that for?" I asked, not unhappy with the development.

"Thought I'd give you a proper hello," she smiled, then stepped back from me and took the _Muse_ shirt over her head. I watched her with awe as she started to unbutton the white shirt. I spun around after a moment or two to give her as much privacy as I could. I could hear Bella kicking off her Doc Martins and then the rustling of fabric told me that she was taking her jeans off. I counted to ten to calm myself down. I looked down at the floor, only to see Bella's clothes in my line of sight. I quickly took off my own clothes, dropping them to the floor and kicking them in Bella's direction. I heard her cute giggle, then more fabric rustling. I stood there in my boxers, waiting for Bella to be dressed.

"I'll wait in the hallway for you," she said, then ducked herself out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I took a deep breath and picked up Bella's jeans. Here comes the struggle.

-ATL-

Carlisle and Esme came home at around twelve thirty. I can only imagine the sight they were greeted with as they rounded the corner to the living room; Bella and I in each other's clothes hugged together in the chair, Alice and Jasper laid out on the couch together laughing at the jokes Emmett was telling, Rosalie and Emmett laid on their stomachs on the floor, giggling their asses off.

"You look like you've been having fun," Esme laughed lightly, lazily striding over to the chair and sitting herself down in it. Carlisle sat himself own on the floor, leaning up against her knees. Esme let her hand fall into Carlisle's hair, massaging his scalp and messing up his fringe. I don't think she even realised that she was doing it.

"Oh we've had a blast," Jasper told them, then proceeded to fill them in on the dares that we all took part in. Both Carlisle and Esme laughed in the right places, and then gawked at Bella when they were told about her little drink earlier. Bella grinned and waved at them, causing us all to laugh.

We stayed in the living room, all just lounging around and laughing, telling rubbish jokes. It was honestly one of the best days I've had. Ever. And I've had a lot of good days, so that is saying something.

At some point, we had all migrated into the music room. Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and I tinkered around with our instruments, playing bits and pieces from previous songs we'd done and playing bits of some songs that we'd covered. The girls were at sat around the table, talking and giggling with each other. Each time I looked over at them they each had a grin, huge on their faces. I caught Bella's eye every now and then; which made me smile when I saw how her beautiful eyes sparkled.

I wondered briefly if what I was feeling for Bella was happening too soon; how can one person who I've known for barely a week make me feel so happy and…. Alive? I don't have an answer to the question, but the next time Bella smiled at me I decided that I couldn't care less if it was too soon. I liked Bella and I'm damn sure she liked me too. And I'm going to see where this took us.

"Ed, you there, bro?"

I was shook out of my thoughts when Carlisle shook my shoulder. I looked around to see everyone staring at me.

"Yeah, what'd I miss?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to play that cover, _So here we are_? Haven't played that in a while," Carlisle said, his eyebrow raised. Instead of answering him verbally I started playing the opening notes, waiting for Jasper, Carlisle and Emmett to catch up to me. As the time came around I stepped up to the mic and started singing. I looked at Bella, looking into her eyes as I sang the lyrics.

_You're not alone,__  
__There're other people like you.__  
__But you're the one,__  
__I think about when I'm alone.__  
__It's never that easy with you.__  
__It's getting dark,__  
__And I'm anticipating.__  
__I'm out of luck,__  
__Cause I'm still waiting for you.__  
__I wish we could see this through.___

_You make,__  
__You make me feel so strong,__  
__When I'm down.__  
__I know one day I'll see you around.___

_So here we are,__  
__We're going nowhere special.__  
__So here we are,__  
__The answer to your question.__  
__So here we are,__  
__Don't leave me here,__  
__(This time you've left me hanging.)__  
__That's what life is,__  
__(No point if there's no meaning.)__  
__So here we are,__  
__(And I'm not leaving till you say,)__  
__That I'll be yours tonight.___

_So here we are,__  
__And it's too complicated.__  
__We've come so far.__  
__So turn the pages,__  
__Stay the same, keep moving on__  
__So can't you see that we're all to blame.___

_(1,2,3,4)___

_She screams,__  
__She screams her name out loud,__  
__Into the night.__  
__(Into the night.)__  
__That's when,__  
__One day I know she'll be mine.___

_So here we are,__  
__We're going nowhere special.__  
__So here we are,__  
__The answer to your question.__  
__So here we are,__  
__Don't leave me here,__  
__(This time you've left me hanging.)__  
__That's what life is,__  
__(No point if there's no meaning.)__  
__So here we are,__  
__(And I'm not leaving till you say,)__  
__That I'll be yours tonight.___

_So here we are,__  
__We're going nowhere special.__  
__So here we are,__  
__The answer to your question.__  
__So here we are,__  
__Don't leave me here,__  
__(This time you've left me hanging.)__  
__That's what life is,__  
__(No point if there's no meaning.)__  
__So here we are,__  
__(And I'm not leaving till you say,)__  
__That I'll be yours tonight._

Carlisle and Jasper sang with me on the chorus and where the lyrics needed to be echoed. As we brought the song to a close I looked around my brothers, only to see their eyes were focused on their partners. I figured that they played and sang the song to them, much like I sang to Bella.

Speaking of whom, Bella stood up from her seat, came to stand in front of me and reached her hand to stroke mine where it rest on the neck of my guitar. Her soft thumb rubbed over the back of my hand. She looked beautiful, stood in front of me in my jeans, tee and hoodie. She stretched on her toes, reached up and pressed a soft kiss onto my lips. She pulled away before I could reciprocate and smiled at me, a 1000 watt smile plastered on her lips. I vaguely saw the other three women going to their respective partners and sharing a moment with them, but I paid them no attention. My attention was focused on the beautiful brunette in front of me.

I took off my guitar, set it in its stand and then took Bella's hand, leading her out of the music room and up the stairs until we reached my bedroom. There we sat and stared at each other, taking each other in for at least ten minutes. Soon enough though, I couldn't resist myself when I reached my hand out and held her cheek in my palm. I smiled when she pushed her face further into my hand.

I leant down and pressed my lips to hers, sweeping my lips back and forth over her plump lips. She returned my kiss with fervour. We were sat on my couch facing each other. Bella raised herself up onto her knees so we were at an equal height. We continued to kiss for a few more minutes before Bella pulled back to breathe. I pressed another chaste kiss to her lips before pulling her to sit on my lap. She curled into a ball and I tucked her head under my chin.

We sat this way until my younger siblings all came up to find us sat curled up with each other. Although I didn't notice them until Alice giggles and a small flash went off. I turned to face Alice with her digital camera in her hands, giggling and standing behind Jasper as though we wouldn't see her if she stood there; well, I nearly couldn't.

"What's up, guys?" Bella asked from her place on my lap, never once moving to sit back on the sofa. I smiled into her hair, glad that she felt comfortable enough around my family to still sit like this with me.

"We were wondering if you two wanted to join us for pizza and a movie?" Rosalie asked, smiling at us. She stood next to Emmett, their hands connected and swinging slightly in between them. I looked down to Bella to see if she wanted to join them or not.

"What time is it?"

"Um… five thirty."

"Yeah I can stay," Bella smiled. She'd told me earlier that Charlie was out fishing down on the La Push reservation and would be staying there until late. I was glad because it meant I got to spend more time with Bella.

-ATL-

"I'm completely stuffed," Bella said, leaning back in the chair, laying her legs over my lap. I rest my hand on her shin and rubbed up and down, laughing at the expression on her face. We'd just finished eating the three pizza's that Carlisle had ordered; not one scrap was left and needless to say we were all overly full.

Bella giggled at the film we were watching; _Stepbrothers_. She told us she knew every line to the film and she wasn't kidding. She giggled when a part of the film was coming up that she liked, though she tried to quiet herself so she didn't disturb the film. Honestly, I was more watching Bella than the film anyway.

"_Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I will kick you repeatedly in the balls, Gardocki!" _

Bella snorted again, speaking in the exact timing with the film. I laughed along with her but mainly because she was right about knowing every line to the film. I let Bella's legs drape over me lap as I pulled the top half of her body into my chest. We stayed like this until it was time for her to leave.

As I walked her to her truck at the end of the night, I snuck in a few chaste pecks on her lips, telling her that I'd see her tomorrow. I told her not to be a stranger and to text me whenever she felt like it; translation- text me when you get home. I watched her drive away from me with a sad smile on my face before retreating back into the house.

After knowing the girl for a week, she already has me hooked.

**A/N:**** Thanks for reading again!**

**Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review this story and add it to your favourites!  
If you are reading, please don't feel shy to leave a review, they help me when I'm writing and they encourage me, so please!**

**So yeah, please review, let me know what you thought!**

**ZoeJayne**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ****Thank you all for reading and reviewing, those of you who have:P **

**Here's Chapter Seven though, so enjoy! I'll apologise for the late upload, but I've been back at school and it was harder to write and update. I had a maths exam on Thursday, then I had to go look at colleges…**

**I'm growing up, scary shit…**

**ANYWAY, enough of that. I don't own twilight, what a shame!**

All Time Low

Chapter Seven  
BPOV

"My dad isn't pleased with you," I laughed at Edward as I walked up to him Monday morning. He was stood looking beautiful in his skinny jeans, white wife beater and flannel shirt unbuttoned over the top. A burgundy beanie slouched on his head, pushing his bronze hair forward into his eyes. I laughed at the scared expression on his face.

"What? Why?!" his usually smooth, velvety voice had risen a few octaves and the look on his face only made me laugh more.

"We forgot to change last night… Needless to say, he wasn't impressed when I returned in your clothes smelling of man," I giggled. He shook his head, muttering about being an idiot, which only made me giggle again. He reached into the backseat of the Volvo and pulled out a plastic bag; no doubt with my clothes in it. Sure enough he passed me the bag, with a small grin. I smiled back and took the bag but said nothing about giving him his clothes back. Those bad boys are mine now.

We leant up against the Volvo, just talking before we had to go to class. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett joined us, walking up from wherever they'd been. We laughed and joked and poked fun at each other before the bell rang cutting us off. Edward walked me to my English classroom after we said goodbye to the other four, brushing his hand against my cheek as a parting gesture. My cheek blazed with a non-existent fire, though it sure felt damn real.

English passed in a bur, as did History, though I had Jasper to entertain me. We spent the lesson listening to music and passing notes again, though this time we were thinking of ways to insult our History teacher. Old fart, know it all. Spanish passed in a flurry of foreign language, the teacher often having to correct themselves because of their stutter.

Jessica had taken ignoring me to a new level in Trig and had decided that sitting next to me was bad for her reputation with Lauren, so instead she moved to sit next to the very smug looking Mike Newton, blabbing his ear off. Rather him than me. On my way to the cafeteria I passed Lauren herself, gaining myself a glare and what I think was supposed to be a threatening stance. Yes, because I found your boobs in my face really threatening Lauren.

Once again I bypassed the lunch line, instead pulling my lunch out of my bag; which consisted of an apple, a turkey sandwich and a bottle of diet Coke. I unwrapped the cellophane from my sandwich and took a large bite, swigging it down with the fizzy drink. Soon enough the table filled with my friends, Edward sitting on one side of me and Alice on the other. Edwards arm was slung over the back of my chair, his fingers playing with a strand of my hair. I carried on a conversation with the rest of the table, taking a biting crunch into my apple.

"Hey Bella?" I looked at Alice and crooked an eyebrow at her, silently asking her to continue. I took another bite of my apple, letting the fruity juice dribble into my mouth. A drip escaped so I poked out my tongue to catch it before it dripped onto my shirt. I thought I heard a groan coming from Edward, however when I turned to face him he was staring intently at the strand of hair between his fingers. I shrugged my shoulders internally, turning back to Alice; if it was important then he would have said something. Then again I may be imagining the whole thing…

"You didn't tell us it was your birthday in a couple of weeks," Alice accused, raising her own eyebrow questioningly at me. I sighed and looked down at the table. I took a final bite of my apple, chewing slowly then unscrewing my drink lid and taking a large sip, procrastinating slightly. Edward reached over and stole the lid from my fingers. He nudged my side to encourage me to speak.

I didn't have anything against my birthday; not really. I just didn't like to make a song and dance about it. For all my past birthdays I had often spent the nights watching DVDs alone, much to Renee's dismay. She thought I should be throwing parties for each year I age and was slightly put out when I didn't want to invite people who barely knew me into my home to celebrate my birth.

Being the awkward pair we are, Charlie usually just sends me a small present on my birthday and we had a ten minute phone call each year, making awkward small talk about my newly gained year; as expected.

So when Alice asked me about my birthday, I was respectfully weary of why she was interested. However knowing Alice as the excitable, energetic little imp, I knew her interest couldn't be anything good.

"It's not important, that's why," I told her, shrugging my shoulders and taking another sip of Coke. I heard a few gasps around the table.

"What do you mean 'It's not important'?! You'll be turning 18, legally an adult!" Emmett cried, flinging his arms around, almost knocking the flat cap off of his head. I furrowed my brows at him, wondering what he was talking about. 18? A light bulb flashed above my head and I realised; they thought I was already 17.

"Um, actually I won't," I said, laughing slightly.

"What do you mean you won't be 18? That's how birthdays work," Jasper said, his brow furrowed in thought. I chuckled again.

"I'm aware how birthdays work Jasper. After all, I've had sixteen of them," I smiled at them all, waiting for them to get it. As realisation dawned on their faces I couldn't help the small smile on my face.

"Wait… You're only 16?" Rosalie asked. I nodded my head, leaning back in my chair. Edwards arm never left my chair, his fingers still playing with a strand of my hair.

"Yeah… I was in all advanced classes in Phoenix, but they couldn't offer that here so I was just moved up a grade," I explained, a small blush of embarrassment on my cheeks.

"Are you a genius?" Alice asked, bouncing slightly in her seat, yet leaning into Jaspers side at the same time. Odd girl.

"I'm not a genius, not by any means," I said, still embarrassed. Alice went on to tell me that if I was able to jump a grade up then I must be 'pretty damn smart'. Her words. I shrugged and let them think what they wanted.

"So you're going to be 17, that's still something to celebrate!" Alice was getting excited again, so I quickly shut down any ideas that would no doubt be forming in her little mind. I told her that I'd prefer a night in watching a film and eating junk food, or something equally as small and cosy over a large party surrounded my people I didn't know and didn't care to get to know. Alice looked so put out when I told her that, she reminded me of my mother which of course made me giggle like a schoolgirl. I couldn't help it; her bottom lip protruded in a quivering bundle, her eyes wide and blinking frequently. I burst out laughing at her expression which caused the rest of the table to laugh at Alice's expression.

The lunch bell rang and the table parted, Alice's parting words to me and Edward being 'If you want small, it'll be the best damn 'small' birthday you've ever had'. Edward and I both rolled our eyes with small smirks before I let him lead me by the small of my back to the biology room. We were two of the first people there so we sat at our lab desk and just chatted. He asked me about my classes back in Phoenix and how far ahead in my classes I was. I answered him honestly, though it embarrassed me highly; so much so I was pretty sure the blush on my face would become a permanent fixture. Edward didn't seem to care that I was almost a full year younger than he was; he seemed just as interested in me as he was before.

People trickled into the room, a steady stream of snapback caps and chino pants trickling in, a mini skirt and tube top mixed in between them. I ignored them all, focusing on Edward and our conversation. Son enough, Mr Banner started the lesson, which meant I zoned off slightly. I only zoned back in when I heard the words 'blood' and 'typing', my ears pricking up as the colour drained from my face slightly. I mean, I was pale already, but mention blood typing and I went white as a sheet.

"Bella? You okay?" Edward's voice whispered into my ear. I turned to face him, shaking my head slightly before pressing my forehead against the cool metal of our desk. I felt Edwards hand rubbing my back soothingly. I risked lifting my head to look around the room; taking in the equipment that had been set out and balking quietly at the teenagers in the room pricking their fingers. Rust and salt aromas penetrated my nose, making me gag and push my head back onto the desk. I heard Mr Banner come over to our desk and ask what I was doing. Edward explained that I felt queasy, his hand never left my back, continuing his rubbing.

I let them talk about me as I tried to breathe through my mouth and not my nose. Damn blood smelling all disgusting. I felt myself being pulled up from my chair and a warm arm wrap itself around my waist. I let Edward lead me out of the room, not taking any nose breaths until we passed the threshold of the room. I could still feel the tingling in my cheeks, due to the lack of blood there.

We didn't stop moving away from the room until we were at the office, speaking to the nurse. Edward sat me in one of the chairs and told me to sit there and look pale until he was done speaking; challenge completed. I heard his murmuring voice as he spoke quietly with the nurse. A few minutes later I was being pulled up and led out into the misting rain. I tilted my head up and let it wash down on my face, a small smile set on my lips. It felt refreshing and the crisp air had a much more clean smell than the blood of my classmates.

"So, you don't like blood?" Edward asked as we walked to his car and got seated. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"It's the smell that gets to me," I shuddered.

"People can't smell blood."

"I can; it's like rust and salt. Damn nasty," I grumbled, giving the hairy eyeball when he laughed at me. We stayed in the car, listening to CDs when eventually Edward pulled out of the parking lot and drove us to his house. I told him I didn't have any of my stuff, but he told me that Alice would grab our things from biology and that he told the nurse he'd take me home. Eh, his house, my home, same thing.

He led me inside, shouting out a hello to the seemingly empty house. Only when two resounding 'Hello's' hollered back at us I knew Esme and Carlisle were home. I shouted my own hello, which brought them both to inspect why Edward and I were off school already. Edward explained with great pleasure that I could smell blood and it made me sick. Carlisle seemed interested by this, but I simply blew it off. I did give Edward another hairy eyeball for spilling however.

Edward and I stayed talking to Carlisle and Esme, just talking. I asked Edward and Carlisle about the band; how were they doing? Any new songs? Edward told me to wait until Emmett and Jasper got home and they'd show me; and Esme too apparently. Esme gave Carlisle a look that led me to believe that she didn't know about any new songs of theirs.

As soon as the four got home from school, Jasper carrying mine and Edwards bags for us, Edward and Carlisle rushed us all into their music room, not letting any of them sit down. Oh but he gave Edward time to explain my aversion to blood, which they all found amusing. I scoffed at them all and scratched my nose with my middle finger. They laughed at me, and then headed into the music room, sitting around the table.

Edward, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett got themselves situated with their instruments, Edward stood in front of his mic, his guitar on its strap, slung round his back. The four men exchanged a glance before Jasper and Alice started playing their guitars, Emmett following them on the drums. Edward still didn't play, just tapped his foot along with them. I looked at Alice, Rosalie and Esme; all of whom had confused, yet intrigued looks on their faces. I'm guessing this is a new song that they hadn't heard yet.

Still not playing, Edward stepped up to the mic fully, holding it in his hands.

_From the get-go I knew this was hard to hold  
Like a crash the whole thing spun out of control  
Oh, on a wire, we were dancing  
Two kids no consequences  
Pull the trigger, without thinking  
There's only one way down this road_

His voice, velvety and smooth formed each word, caressing them as he sang them. He was beautiful; he had his eyes closed as he sang, his face serene and relaxed. His hands held the mic as if it were made of glass.

_It was like a time bomb set into motion  
We knew that we were destined to explode  
And if I have to pull you out of the wreckage  
You know I'm never gonna let you go  
We're like a time bomb  
Gonna lose it, let's defuse it  
Baby, we're like a time bomb  
But I need it  
Wouldn't have it any other way_

He suddenly brought his guitar from around his back, slotting into the song immediately, playing his damn heart out. His voice got stronger and louder as he sang the chorus, his brow scrunching up underneath his hair. His eyes popped open, looking straight at the mic as he sang. He let his eyes wander the room as he sang until they finally rested on me, staying there. His lips crooked into a smile as his lips formed the words he was belting out. He dropped the guitar again as he kept singing.

_Well there's no way out of this  
So let's stay in  
Every storm that comes,  
Also comes to an end.  
Oh resistance, is useless  
Just two kids stupid and fearless  
Like a bullet, shooting a lovesick  
There's only one way down this road_

He was yet again caressing the mic, his eyes staying on mine this time instead of closing them. I kept his stare, watching his mouth forming words, his eyes express the song, watched the pure joy that he got from playing and singing radiate from his pores. His voice almost seemed to soften as he sang the last few lines, that small smile set firmly on his lips.

_It was like a time bomb set into motion  
We knew that we were destined to explode  
And if I have to pull you out of the wreckage  
You know I'm never gonna let you go  
We're like a time bomb  
Gonna lose it, let's defuse it  
Baby, we're like a time bomb  
But I need it  
Wouldn't have it any other way_

Got my heart in your hands, like a time bomb ticking  
It goes off, we start again  
When it breaks, we fix it  
Got your heart in my hands, like a time bomb ticking  
We should know better,  
But we won't let go

He sang about his heart looking directly at me, his eyes never releasing me from their dazzling gaze. I couldn't tear my eyes away for the life of me, not wanting to lose the connection I had with him. It felt like at that very moment he could see straight into my soul, like he knew my exact thoughts.

_It was like a time bomb set into motion  
We knew that we were destined to explode (destined to explode)  
And if I have to pull you out of the wreckage  
You know I'm never gonna let you let me go  
Like a time bomb  
Gonna lose it, let's defuse it  
Baby we're like a time bomb  
But I need it  
Wouldn't have it any other way_

He stopped playing, his breathing heavy from booming out the lyrics. He didn't once break the connection of our eyes, keeping them locked and gazing into mine. He only broke his eyes away when clapping broke out around us. Esme, Alice and Rosalie had jumped up and surrounded their partners, congratulating them on the song. Alice hit Jaspers chest with her palm, asking how the hell he'd kept it a secret from her. He grinned a lopsided smile at her and apologised, though it didn't sound sincere; he looked too damn happy to be sorry. I smiled at them, shaking my head slightly before turning back to Edward. He was watching me with a grin on his face. He caught my eye again and pushed his fringe up underneath his beanie.

"That was great Edward," I smiled at him, revelling in the spark in his eye. He grinned his crooked grin and winked at me, thanking me.

"You liked it?"

"I loved it." And it was true, I did. From what I've heard of them, I love listening to anything they will play. And the fact that it's Edward's velvety voice I'm listening to, his dazzling emerald eyes I'm looking into… Well that was a damn fantastic bonus.

"Good, good." He smiled again, and then held his hand out to me, his guitar still slung over his back. I took his hand and shouted a goodbye to the others as he took me out of the room and up to his bedroom. Good God, if Charlie knew how many times I've been to Edward's room, alone with him, he'd have an aneurism. What? He's awkward, but he's still a dad.

I sat myself down on Edward's bed, laying down into the feathery duvet. I pulled one of his pillows and hugged it to my chest. I felt the bed dip as Edward took a seat next to me, pulling his guitar round and balancing it on his knee. I rolled onto my side and rested my head in my palm, propped up on my elbow as I watched him fiddle with the guitar. His face was full of concentration as he fiddled with the guitar in his lap. Without a word he started playing small snippets of songs I recognized, all songs from bands I liked. He didn't sing, but he played and played; him sat on the edge of his bed, me on my side, propped up watching him intently.

I'll be honest.

He looked damn sexy sat there; his fingers plucking the strings on his guitar, strong hands holding the neck of the guitar with gently care. His face full of concentration watching to make sure he played each chord right, make sure he plucked each string at the right time. I waited as long as I could, before I sat up onto my knees and pulled his hands away from the guitar, mid song. His brow furrowed as pulled the strap over his neck. I set the beautiful guitar on the floor gently, taking care of the instrument. I turned and captured Edwards face between my hands, my eyes staring into his. His lips quirked into a smile, his eyes glowing as he saw the smile settle itself on my own lips.

I leant in gently and pressed a chaste kiss onto his cheek; right, then left. I kissed his forehead, then his chin. Finally, I pressed a small kiss to his lips, pecking him. I pulled back and he grinned, before leaning in and kissing me cheeks; left, then right. He kissed my chin, then my forehead, his lips lingering slightly. He then pressed another chaste kiss to my lips, copying me. I couldn't help the joyous laugh that bubbled in my throat and fell from my lips, giggling more when Edward succumbed to his own laughter; his manlier giggles.

"Bella, I know we haven't even gone on a second date yet but… Oh hell, be my girlfriend?" Edward paused his laughing and looked me in the eye as he asked me, his voice never wavering. I felt a smile grow on my lips and a small blush on my cheeks. I nodded my head and I said a confident 'Yes' to him. He smiled, a huge smile, then grabbed my hips and pulled me into his chest. I giggled at his enthusiasm and cuddled myself further into his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent. I thought of something suddenly and couldn't help the snort that escaped me.

"What?" Edward asked, obviously amused at my less than lady like snort.

"You can be the one to tell my Dad that you're my boyfriend," Edward paled slightly, obviously remembering what I'd said this morning about the clothes. I laughed and kissed Edward jaw, loving how he relaxed under my touch.

"You can do it tomorrow, if you want?" I smiled at him, taking his hand to encourage him. He smiled back at me, nodding his head yes, before pulling me back into his chest.

I was damn happy to stay there for the time being.

**A/N: ****Thanks for reading!**

**The song I used last chapter was Elliot Minor- So here we are. Sorry I forgot to mention that. And the song mentioned this chapter was Time Bomb- All Time Low. Great songs, check them both out!**

**Anyway, please review, its great encouragement, so yeah, even if you just want to give me a smiley or frowny face, I don't mind :')**

**ZoeJayne**


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